Things I Shouldn't Know
by Jacqi Kennedy
Summary: Bonnie and Damon are back in Mystic Falls and things will never be the same
1. Prologue

**Home (or Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been)**

When Caroline, Tyler and Elena entered the boarding house, it was odd to see Sheriff Forbes sitting on the couch and Damon and Bonnie sitting beside one another on the loveseat, each holding a glass of whiskey (since when did Bonnie drink whiskey?) and looking a lot more comfortable with one another's nearness.

Elena had rushed towards Damon, ecstatic to see him again. He'd wrapped his arms around the thin girl, yet quickly he'd pulled away.

"How long have you been fucking Enzo?" he asked.

Leave it to Damon to cut to the chase.

Caroline didn't hear Elena's answer, tuning the two out as the brunette pulled Damon out of the room, before she wrapped her arms around Bonnie. Tyler joined the girls and the two filled her in on what had been happening while she'd been away. Looking Bonnie over, making sure she was alright and amazed that she hadn't changed in the time that'd passed, she grew concerned when she didn't get the sense of calm that usually radiated from the witch.

The blond could see Bonnie's eyes still searching for the door.

She'd noticed Bonnie's face fall when Jeremy hadn't entered with them but her excitement from seeing her other friends had taken over and she'd quickly been filled with joy. Now the disappointment was creeping back in and the realization that she had missed so much time with her former boyfriend and that, yes, he had moved on, settled in.

Caroline and Tyler released her and soon she was back in her seat, tumbler in hand as slow sips were taken. They asked what had happened, and the woman had filled them in... on absolutely nothing.

How can one be gone, nonexistent for months… months without any knowledge as to where they had been?

As time continued for everyone else in the world, it had completely stopped for just two. The two people that were supposed to never exist again but had reappeared in this realm, and wouldn't have had any knowledge that eight months had gone by, if it hadn't been for the snow on the ground.

The last thing Damon and Bonnie had remembered about the collapse of the other side, was an all consuming white light, yet when the light ebbed, they'd found themselves in the same place, same position, only now it was winter instead of spring and their loved ones weren't around.

Caroline found the whole thing odd.

Well fine, everyone found the whole thing odd, with odd being the understatement of the century.

Elena reentered the room, red in the face as Damon followed, calm as ever, sipping his drink. The newest vampire let a smile creep across her face as she finally looked to Bonnie and crossed the room to the witch. She sat beside her, embraced her, placing her head on her shoulder as she sobbed, telling her friend how she'd missed her over the months.

"Just… don't," the witch finally spoke pulling away. Her hazel eyes looked up to Caroline. "Can you please take me home?"

She nodded, not sure what had transpired between Damon and Elena or why Bonnie had just acted so coldly towards Elena. There were definitely secrets that needed to be found out and she was determined to unearth every single one of them.

* * *

When Caroline pulled into her driveway, Bonnie hopped out of the car. Caroline began to open her door and Bonnie gently asked her to allow her this time alone. She could see in her eyes that Caroline wanted to argue that she shouldn't be left alone but she respected her wishes, got back in her car and left.

Bonnie made her way up the snow covered walkway and when she got to the porch, she honestly couldn't find it in her heart to go inside. So she plopped down on the bottom step, elbows resting on her knees and chin in her hands.

She didn't feel right.

Yes her magic was back but the rest of her being just felt wrong. Her skin felt too tight, her flesh too cold and her hair too... hairy. She did not want to go back into this house. The house where she'd spent her entire childhood with her father. Nope out of the question. She thought of going to her Grams' house but that thought only brought tears.

Had it really been eight months ago when she'd said goodbye to her for the last time? It honestly felt like only hours to her. Caroline had asked if she wanted to return to their rental house at Whitmore, offering up Elena's room because they were all sure she would most definitely be staying at the Salvatore boarding house.

The boarding house.

She hadn't felt right since she'd left the there, well to be more specific, since Damon had left her side to speak with Elena.

And with that thought in mind, she dug into her pocket for her keys, crossed the yard and got into her car.

Bonnie didn't feel calm until she pulled into the driveway of the Salvatore home. Once her car was in park, she took a deep breath, before she stepped out and made her way to the door.

Her hand raised to knock and before she could bring it down onto the wood, it flew open.

A furious Elena stood on the other side, glaring at her.

"What did you do?"

Utterly confused, the witch took a step back, knowing not to tangle with an emotional vampire. "What are you talking about?"

Elena took a step closer. "Damon just broke up with me." She wiped at her eyes, smearing her mascara. "I thought after all this time he would be… that everything would go back to the way it was before, but…" Finally she looked at her friend. Really looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Are you going to let me in?"

Her friend stepped aside, allowing her entrance to the house and as soon as she stepped inside Bonnie felt at peace. She made her way to the parlor, Elena at her heels.

"Where's Damon?" she couldn't help from asking.

"What are you doing here Bonnie?"

She heard the accusation in her friend's voice this time.

Bonnie went to the bar, unstopped a decanter and poured herself some whiskey. She picked up the jar of honey Damon had left earlier and added some to her drink.

"Didn't want to be alone."

Elena shook her head confused. "You should've gone back to the house at Whitmore."

The witch plopped down in one of the armchairs. "Too many people, plus that ex-boyfriend who's shacked up with his new girl, would probably make things a bit awkward for a witch that just blinked back into existence after an eight month hiatus."

The vampire didn't wear shock well. "What's with you? You're not acting like yourself."

Bonnie stood to her feet, rising to her full height but in a manner that made her appear a foot taller than her actual stature.

"How dare you tell anyone that they aren't acting like themselves, as if you even know me."

"I've known you my whole life."

"You don't know me Elena." Bonnie made her way to the taller woman. "And you and your fucked up priorities need to go somewhere else because I don't have the strength or care enough right now to deal with it. I've died to keep you alive and make you happy. I've apparently been gone for eight months and on my first day back in your life, you try to accuse me of fucking Damon." She threw back the rest of her drink.

Elena's eyes grew wide. "It's not that. I just thought it was odd that neither of you can remember what happened in all this time and then he comes back and breaks up with me."

Bonnie couldn't stop herself from blurting, "Maybe he broke up with you because you're a shitty person."

And without another word or look at the other woman, Bonnie left the room and headed upstairs.

By the time she made it to the upstairs landing, Elena had left and Damon stood in the hall, leaning on the frame of his door.

"What are you doing here?" He smiled. "And telling off Elena?" the second question asked with admiration and a raised eyebrow.

Bonnie shrugged. "I didn't want to be at my house."

When she approached him, he exited his room but instead of turning her around and back down the stairs, he led her to the end of the hall and opened the door. However before she could enter the guest bedroom, he blocked the doorway with an arm. "So, I'll bring you some fresh towels and something to sleep in, if…"

"If?" she huffs, now feeling every bit of exhausted from dying too many times in her short lifetime.

She watched Damon roll his eyes. "Fine, I'll do those things anyway but I need a favor."

"What kind of favor?" her arms immediately crossed her chest, truly expecting some sort of pervertivity.

* * *

Ten minutes later and she's in his bedroom, plopped down on his bed with her favorite grimoire in front of her and a new lapis lazuli day ring in her hand.

"How could you possibly lose the most important thing in all of your existence?"

Her eyes followed him as he exited his bathroom, clean fluffy towels in hand. He set them on the bed beside her and snatched the new ring from her hold, slipped it on and walked over to his dresser.

"I wouldn't necessarily call it the most important thing in all my existence," was his reply.

Bonnie watched him paw through a drawer and when he found what he was looking for, he tossed the black tee shirt in her direction. It unceremoniously hit her in the face and fuck, why did it smell so amazing to her?

She stood to her feet and grabbed her grimoire and the other things he'd supplied for her. She was almost out the door, before she paused.

"How may you bother me?" the vampire asked as he entered his bathroom.

"Why did you have my grimoire?"

"Excuse me?"

She turned on her heel in order to face him. "I remember, at my… funeral, you had my grimoire and now, here it was, still in your possession."

Damon casually strolled back into his bedroom. "I'm old Bonnie." A sigh. "I tend to have a lot of old things."

"But it was mine." She insisted. "How would you even have gotten it?"

His eyes widened in that crazed drunk murderous way they were known to do. "Who knows? You probably left it here in between your 'I'm too cool for orthodox magic' phase and your," he pretended to hang himself, "phase."

And this would have been an acceptable answer, if she were a little more careless. "But—"

"Oh my God Bonnie! Stop being a witch and reading into every little detail, go take a shower and rest." She watched his shoulders sag. "I'm tired, so I'm sure you're almost dead." She grimaced at the horrible joke. He shrugged. "Too soon?"

* * *

**Yet Another Author's Note: **I told you guys you wouldn't have to wait too long.

Again this story will probably be short, eight to ten chapters this time and the rest of them will be much longer.


	2. Apologies

**Apologies (or The Night She**** Cried)**

At first Damon had assumed that the witch would be just staying the night at the boarding house, yet as the week continued to creep along, Bonnie made no effort to leave. In fact, the little witch had the audacity to bring some luggage and other items back to his home, after she had been away for a few hours.

He leaned in the doorway of her room (?) and watched as she unpacked, folding tee shirts, panties and bras before tucking them away into drawers, hanging her jeans, blouses and jackets in the closet and lining her shoes along the wall beneath the window.

He cleared his throat.

She continued her actions and so he cleared his throat again.

"I didn't think vampires caught colds?"

"And I didn't believe witches to be freeloaders, yet here we are?"

Finally her petite frame turned to face him, a hand flew to her hip as she glared at him. "You do know that I am now the owner of two houses in this town?"

He took a few steps into the room. "No, I'm quite aware of that, which is why I'm confused as to why you're here with me."

She dropped the hangers in her hands and they clattered to the floor, as she backed away from him. When the back of her legs hit the bed, she sat.

He saw the quiver in her lower lip and the shine in her eyes and pulled out his phone. "I'll send Blondie a text."

"She's like three hours away," Bonnie whispered as she wiped her eyes.

Damon frowned. Why couldn't he just have a normal day in Mystic Falls, without someone blowing something up, him redying or worse, witches crying in the guest bedroom?

With a sigh, that hopefully let her know how much he didn't mean his next words, he offered, "If you want to talk to me about it, we're going to at least need to do some drinking. I'll be downstairs."

Before she could say a word, he was downstairs preparing their drinks. Well his glass of whiskey required no prep at all but Princess Bonnie only drank hers the same as she did her tea, with honey and lemon. Or at least that's what he somehow had assumed the first time he'd made it for her and when she hadn't complained (like she's often known to do), he had just figured he'd been right.

He was seated in his favorite chair, arms lying the length of the armrest, glass hanging from his fingertips as his head rested against the high back of the chair, when she entered the room. His hand made a lazy gesture towards the coffee table, towards her drink.

She picked up the tumbler, laid across the loveseat and toed off her boots, resting her drink on her flat stomach as she stared at the high ceiling.

Damon knew Bonnie had seen Jeremy. The Boy Wonder had shown up on his front porch the afternoon after their arrival to the land of the living, looking sheepishly apologetic and almost in tears. He'd only widened the door opening, as he stepped aside and nodded towards the kitchen.

He had expected to hear Bonnie screaming and crying, maybe a few dishes breaking but instead he heard Jeremy raise his voice as he argued why the lovers should reunite. Yet Bonnie had shocked Damon and apparently Jeremy too, when she told the teen to pursue whatever he thought he had with his new girlfriend and let her go.

Jeremy had left in a huff, shoving past Damon on his way to the front door.

For the rest of the week, Damon found himself listening to Bonnie sing some kind of melancholy tune as she showered... every morning. Listening past the depressing lyrics of these songs of unrequited and lost love, Damon couldn't help but admit that the girl had a wonderful voice.

Now he watched her, stretched across the couch occasionally taking sips of her drink. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of songs she had sang while she had been happy and in love.

"So what's your deal?" he started what would and could only be an awkward conversation.

He saw the roll of her shoulders as her eyes squeezed shut, before she answered, "I just feel wrong."

Damon didn't say anything. He'd been feeling the same way since they'd returned, felt as though this were some dream world and he was going to wake up and be where ever it was he really belonged. Everything felt too strong, from the lights, to the smells and even, Bonnie's presence.

He'd complained to Alaric over a bottle of scotch, at the former teacher's apartment, that he felt out of sorts, with Bonnie being one of his main challenges. Yes, he may have started catching some kind of something, resembling feelings, for the witch a while ago, yet then he hadn't been sure if it were platonic or romantic. Now his feels were somewhere in the middle of the road. Sometimes when he saw her he was torn between wanting her to keep him company while they read books in the library or snatching her by the shoulders and kissing her.

"You're like the farmer who will let the fruit on his table rot just because you're envious of some peaches that started to bud on your neighbor's tree." Alaric had laughed. "It's like you have to have the newest, loudest and brightest toy."

Psh, Alaric didn't know shit, yet the bastard had asked him why he had broken up with Elena and the vampire found himself finally being honest about that whole ordeal.

Honestly, it had been fun pursuing her and he'd gotten to make his brother's life a living hell at the same time. Sure his misguided love for Katherine might have had something to do with it but that was neither here nor there.

Once he actually had Elena, he realized what a horrible pairing they made and how toxic they were for one another.

Yes the sex was hot, yes she was gorgeous but damn if she didn't constantly run into danger with half-cocked ideas that usually ended up biting everyone in the ass, even though her heart was in the right place.

And when he'd hugged her and smelled Enzo on her skin, all of his insecurities had come to surface. No, he couldn't be upset that she had found comfort with someone else in the eight months he'd been gone but really… his friend.

Just like she'd left his brother for him. What made him think that she wouldn't one day toss him to the side because she felt some attraction to someone else? Yes her moral compass and priorities were a bit askew and his were as well but what good would they be to one another. How many times had he quickly, without thinking, put one of her loved one's life at risk, hell even snapping the neck of her brother?

And no he wasn't blaming her for the many fucked up things he'd done but he remembered something, Lillian, the slave woman who had raised him as one of her own, when his mother had died, had told him.

_He'd been sitting in the kitchen, telling her of his father's plans for him to go to war, as she prepared a light lunch for him. _

"_Then don't go," she'd replied. "Simple as that."_

_Damon shook his head. "It's not that simple. My dad wants and expects me to go and although it isn't what I want, I need to honor him and our family."_

_Lillian set the plate of sandwiches before him on the table. "You don't do things for other people, you do what makes you happy. You don't change your beliefs or morals for someone." She sat across the table from him. "You love someone enough and you'll find yourself wanting to do things, not to make them happy but because that person makes you realize that doing it, is what you want as well."_

_He took a bite of one of the sandwiches. "Even if it's bad?"_

_She smiled. "If it's the right person, they'll only bring out the good in you. If that person only makes you want to do horrible, selfish things, then they're usually someone you don't want or need around."_

"_So you're saying, my dad is no good for me."_

_Lillian laughed and stood to her feet as Stefan entered the room. "You know the answer to that already, Honey."_

Now he couldn't help but look at the witch across the room. The same witch who always questioned his decisions and morals, making him constantly ask himself how he could do things differently. So, seeing her right now, so lost in her own head and body, made him feel as if he needed to help her find her way.

"I don't feel right either," he admitted.

She sat up and took another sip of her drink. "Abby called, wants to see me."

He grimaced. "And you said?"

"Told her I'd head over in the morning."

Damon scoffed. "And you're actually going?"

"I guess. I mean, second, third, fourth chance at life. Seems like I should learn how to forgive and forget."

"Speaking of forgive…"

At this moment, Elena entered the room. She looked from Damon to Bonnie, before she asked the witch. "Can we talk?"

* * *

Bonnie led the way upstairs to her room and Elena followed. She shut the door, not that it would stop prying vampire ears from hearing what would be said and took a seat on the massive bed, as Elena sat beside her.

"I need to apologize," the brunette began. "Last week when you guys came back, I wasn't expecting it and it took me by surprise and I acted selfishly. I'd missed you both for so long and when I saw you guys, it was just too much and all of the emotions that I'd been trying to keep inside, came to the surface."

Bonnie nodded. "It just hurt that your natural reaction was hugging Damon and then trying to straighten things out with him before acknowledging me."

Elena frowned. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you in any way but..," she paused. "Can you imagine had Jeremy been gone for so long and he comes back and treats you with disgust. I was hurt and then he told me that he didn't want to be together anymore and that hurt even more. All this time I spent imagining that if he did come back, we'd both be overjoyed and pick up where we left off but him acting like that just destroyed the only thing that kept me sane all this time."

"Well, I'm sorry he hurt you," Bonnie admitted honestly.

"And then you just acted so coldly towards me and it was the same thing all over again within minutes. The two people that I'd mourned were finally back and so upset with me and," Elena let out a sob as she covered her mouth. "And it made me feel horrible."

"But then you accused me of sleeping with Damon and that hurt. The fact that you would think I'd do such a thing," She told her. "You know me and you know how I feel about him and you should know that I love you enough not to betray you like that."

Elena nodded. "You're right but you both were acting so cold towards me and you seemed so in sync with one another. It was just strange." She dried her eyes with the back of her hands. "And then you snapped at me."

Bonnie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'd just let about thirty people pass through me and lost my Grams for the last time, only to find out it had all happened eight months prior." She threw her head back. "And like I said, I just feel out of sorts."

"Well, again, I'm so sorry but you guys made me feel like such a bitch." She grimaced. "And I know not everything is about me but… I wasn't thinking clearly. I wasn't expecting to see you guys again and I just feel like I gave up on you guys so easily. And that you guys gave up on me."

And now Bonnie felt like shit. Yes she had felt looked over by her friend but now she understood Elena's reasons for her actions and she knew that her own had not helped at all.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around her best friend. "It wasn't really that, it's just…" she sighed. "I don't feel right."

Eyes full of concern, Elena looked her friend over. "How do you mean?"

She released her grasp on Elena and looked down at her hands in her lap. "I can't really explain it but I don't feel like myself, like I shouldn't be here right now. I should be dead but—"

Elena's shook her head. "Don't talk like that. You're here and obviously there's a reason for it. We all need you and you deserve to live."

The witch stood and walked across the room. She leaned on the windowsill as she watched Elena study her. "Are you sure?" she waited as Elena tried to choose her words wisely. "Maybe it's like when Alaric kept dying and he came back all psycho crazy. Maybe this is what he felt like before he lost it."

The vampire made her way to her friend until she stood in front of her. "You're okay Bonnie." She smiled. "We're all okay we just… we need to figure out how to adjust to these new circumstances. You and Jeremy and me and Damon not being together. It's a fresh start and maybe we all just need to focus on ourselves and doing what makes us happy as individuals."

"But I'm not really sure what I want or need. I just know that…" She took a deep breath. "I don't really know anything." She didn't realize until now that tears were streaming down her face. "I don't know where I've been for the past eight months or why I'm even standing here. Everything just feels so wrong."

This time Elena wrapped her arms around Bonnie. "We'll figure things out together."

* * *

Elena sat in the passenger seat of Caroline's car as the blond drove her and Bonnie to Abby's house. She had called her, after her talk with Bonnie and she had arrived as quickly as possible. The three had spent the rest of the day in the room, airing all of their grievances with one another. Some of the things that had been said hurt but each girl felt better having gotten everything off their chests and getting explanations for what they had deemed shitty behavior.

It didn't hit her until both of her friends where together, telling her of how she had seemed to change and move further and further away from the girl they'd grown up loving, that she realized Damon had been right.

When she had pulled him from the room that first night, he had reiterated everything he'd told her the first time he'd tried to end things between them. She had found herself caring less and less about everyone and everything in her life except for him, the longer they'd been together and the deeper she'd found herself falling for him.

Her morals and ethics had become blurry as she tried to justify the horrible things he'd done. Things that she knew the past Elena would have hated him for and the reason she had accepted the things he did was because she hadn't wanted him to lash out at her and take her off the pedestal he'd always kept her on.

Maybe it had been the fact that she had lived such a privileged life, with such a loving family, that she felt so alive around him and the danger that came with the lifestyle of associating with vampires. She had felt the same way that Bonnie felt now. Lost and so unsure of herself, who she was and what she wanted and it hadn't been until she met the Salvatore brothers and everything that transpired since then, that she truly felt alive.

She made a note to herself to ask Caroline for help planning a fun girl's night with Bonnie.

They had made it Abby's house and everything played out exactly as she and Caroline had expected. Although the two had wanted to be optimistic and supportive of their friend, especially since she was currently going through such a hard time, they were skeptical. Yet they had hoped for the best and when they had arrived at the house Caroline and Elena hadn't been surprised that the place was deserted.

Once they were again in the car, Bonnie sat in the backseat, staring out the window. The hazel eyed witch didn't say a word during the two hour drive back to Mystic Falls and when she asked to be dropped off at her house, Elena only grew more concerned.

Caroline had asked during their time together the night before, why the witch was staying with Damon and the two vampires had been very understanding of her answer. She said she felt safe there, knowing that Damon would be around to protect her. The house at Whitmore would have been just as safe but then there was the Jeremy factor and she told them that honestly, she liked the square footage to people ratio at the Salvatore residence better.

After dropping Bonnie off, Caroline drove back to the boarding house so Elena could get her car.

Elena watched her friend drive away before she unlocked her car and opened the door.

"Hey," she heard the familiar voice of Damon call.

Turning to face him, she saw the dark haired man leaning in the doorway of his home.

"Hey," was her response.

He took a sip of his drink. "Wanna come in for a little bit?"

She shook her head. She knew that tone of voice and knew that if she were to go inside, the day would end with her naked and beneath him. "No thanks. I need to get back."

Damon nodded. "Where's Bon Bon?"

"Staying at her house tonight." Elena admitted as she slid behind the wheel of her car. "She said she needed to clear her head."

He shrugged as he turned into the house. "Be safe getting back."

"I will."

"Take care of yourself Elena."

She watched the front door shut and when it did, she closed her car door and started the engine. "I will."

* * *

After two bottles of tequila and three bags of blood, Damon had made his way upstairs, stripped off his clothes and fell into bed. The duvet felt amazing and cool against his skin and smelled so clean and fresh. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering when and how he could get Elena alone again to apologize for the things he'd said. Granted he hadn't said anything vile or untrue but he probably could have been more tactful about the situation.

Now he lay in bed, trying to figure out a way to make amends with Elena without getting her hopes up of a reconciliation. He also definitely needed to put locating Stefan on the top of his priority list. And then there was Bonnie.

It really hadn't been his intention to listen in on her and Elena's conversation but there really wasn't much going on in the house and he was a tad curious as to how the girls would make up. Of course he saw the difference in the little witch and he was sure he knew how she felt because he was having a hard time adjusting as well.

He wasn't sure why but he felt as if he needed to protect her, help her find her way back to being the Bonnie that she was before. And right now, he felt incomplete and extremely lonely because he knew she wasn't safely in the bed, down the hall. It frightened him, not knowing where this sudden pull towards the witch was coming from.

Without a second thought, Damon stood to his feet and quickly pulled on some clothes. He made his way downstairs, shrugged on his jacket, slipped on his boots and grabbed his car keys before he headed out the door.

Five minutes later, he stood on Bonnie's front porch, debating whether or not he should knock or turn around and head back home. He wasn't sure what had even brought him here. It wasn't as though he were a child, needing his mommy to check under his bed while he slept. Yet he knew that he would find sleep much easier, being under the same roof as her.

Before he could knock or ring the bell, the door flew open and Bonnie stood on the other side of the threshold, a parka thrown on over her pajamas.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, a ghost of a smile on her face.

He shrugged, looking away, trying his best to avoid her eyes. "Well, ya know, just out for a drive and figured I'd see what you were up to."

The witch nodded. "I was…" she took a step back. "I was on my way back to your house."

Damon fully met her eyes and saw the sincerity and loneliness in them. "Miss me?"

He watched her pull off her jacket and kick off her shoes. "Maybe."

"Maybe," he scoffed. Resting a hand on her doorframe, he tried to give her his most charming smile. "So considering I've generously let you stay with me for the past week, you think you could finally invite me in."

Bonnie pondered his request for a minute before finally rolling her eyes. "Damon, please come in."

The vampire waited a few seconds before crossing into the home. He slid his jacket and boots off, as he took in his surroundings.

It looked like an average home, lived in and loved, where one raised a family in a small blow over town, where nothing happened. The furniture was traditional, the walls were painted a neutral shade and the fireplace mantel was covered in mementos, placed with care, by a proud parent.

He strolled to the fireplace and took in the many photos of Bonnie at different stages of life, the newborn, the toddler, the snaggle toothed child and the awkward preteen. The bookcases that surrounded the fireplace were full of books, photo albums, cheerleading trophies and surprisingly, books of poetry.

His fingers automatically plucking one book in particular from the shelf, where it had rested. He held it up so that Bonnie could see. He could smell the blood that rushed to her cheeks and it made his gums itch.

"Really?" was all he could say about the book in his hand.

"Yeah really." She said crossing the room towards him and yanked it from his grasp. "He's a good author."

Damon grabbed it back and plopped down onto the couch. He leafed through the pages, eyes skimming over the words. "His poetry is shit."

Bonnie stood in front of the fireplace, extended her hands and soon a roaring fire was warming the space. "You're shit."

He gave her his signature smirk. "And you missed me." Damon watched as she sat in one of the oversized chairs. "Let me guess, you're favorite poem is 'The Night She Cried'?"

"You sure do know a lot about a shitty poet," she teased.

"I like poetry and sometimes you have to dig through shit to find a diamond." After finding what he was looking for, Damon propped his feet up on the coffee table. "'The Night She Cried' by Stanley Schaal. Her lips quiver as my fingers seek her—"

"Nope, stop. Stop that right now," she interrupted.

He laughed. "I have it memorized."

She frowned. "So do I, so I really don't need you reciting it." She stood to her feet. "Or you can go home."

Not wanting that at all, Damon closed the book and tossed it onto the table. "We both know neither of us want that."

"Good." He watched her open the closet door and when she turned back to face him, her arms were weighed down with blankets and pillows. "So you're going to sleep down here and I'm going to head up to my room."

He stood, grabbed the bedding from her hands and was about to ask what was wrong with her father's room but thought better of it. "Fine."

Bonnie made her way to the stairs. "See you in the morning."

"From now on we're staying at my place" Damon called behind her.

"Good night Damon."


	3. Mason Jars & Tea Kettles

**Mason Jars & Tea Kettles (or Return of the Jabberwocky)**

Sometimes it was easier to pretend.

Pretend that you were feeling like your old self.

Pretend as if you truly enjoyed your friends' company.

Pretend as though you were happy to be alive.

It wasn't that she felt suicidal, not at all, but sometimes she felt as if Lucy and her friend Daniel had wasted their time bringing her back.

Caroline and Matt had told her what role they had played in contributing to her return. It had surprised her that Matt and Caroline had tracked down Abbie and it had equally shocked her to hear that her negligent, vampire, excused of a mother, had even assisted them with finding Lucy.

So when Bonnie had talked to her cousin and had only been told that a friend of a friend had aided in bringing she and Damon back, she was a little concerned about what they might have had to do in order to bring her back to existence. Bonnie had asked 'but where did you bring us back from', and the older witch had gotten a little sketchy on details and just suggested she make a trip down to New Orleans for a visit sometime in the very near future.

Bonnie had told the others about her conversation with her cousin and everyone had been very lackadaisical about caring of the details. Well, everyone except Damon.

"Maybe that's why we're feeling like this." He'd frowned. "Maybe… well no, there is no maybe, but we're probably just not meant to exist."

Elena's eyes had widened as she stared between the two. "Don't look at it like that. It could be that you were never supposed to die in the first place."

Alaric shook his head. "It's said that your first death is supposed to be your last. Every time that you die after that is the universe trying to find balance and correct whatever caused you to come back."

"If that's the case, none of us should be sitting here right now," Jeremy concluded.

The residential witch rolled her eyes. She really did hate the sound of his voice now. "Well, I'm going to head down to New Orleans in a couple weeks and meet up with Lucy, find out what exactly she did and where she brought me Damon back from."

Damon nodded. "I'll come with you."

"That's okay," Caroline chimed in. "I'll keep her company. It'll be fun."

Elena scoffed as she sat back in her chair. "You just want to see Klaus," she teased.

Caroline looked to the ceiling as a hand found its way to her hip. "First of all, I have absolutely no feelings for him and second—"

"Who cares?" Damon interrupted. "But as I was saying, I'm going because I kind of had something to do with this whole fiasco."

"But you don't have to go," Jeremy chimed in.

"And you don't have to be here Baby Gilbert, so what's your point?"

Bonnie and Caroline chuckled, while Elena looked between the two men with disgust.

Standing to his feet, Alaric stretched. "Well, I don't care who goes with you," he told Bonnie. "But of course I'd prefer one of our undead friends here. There's all kinds of things down there that go bump in the night." Bonnie opened her mouth to argue, so he added. "And I know you're powerful but there is very old magic and vampires down there."

"Which is why she should take the oldest vampire she knows," Damon concluded. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm the best deterrent for things that go bump in the night."

"Because you're the bumpiest of all things," Jeremy muttered.

And before anyone could make out exactly what was said, Damon had Jeremy pinned against the wall, with the teens neck in his hand.

"If you have something to say little boy, speak up."

Elena sped over to the pair and placed her hand on top of Damon's. "Let him go," she pleaded.

Bonnie felt an emotion, very close to jealousy, flare within her at seeing Elena's hand on top of Damon's. She wanted more than anything to snap Elena's neck and it startled her, having such a strong urge to injure her friend… over Damon?

Not knowing what to do, besides remove herself from the situation, Bonnie stood, weaved her way through the house and stepped out onto the back porch.

The cold air felt good across her flushed skin and she tried to calm her heart by taking deep breaths. This had to end. This feeling of uncertainty and discomfort within herself that made her not care.

She really didn't care, about anything or anyone and it was starting to worry her because now, not only did she not care but she was starting to grow bored.

* * *

Caroline stood in the kitchen, sipping a mug of hot cocoa, ignoring the arguing in the parlor as she watched Bonnie.

She knew something was wrong with her friend and she had tried multiple times to ask the witch what was the problem and the woman had only shrugged and confessed that she didn't know herself. Caroline tried her hardest to get Bonnie to come down to Whitmore to visit and attend parties yet Bonnie constantly refused, stating that she wasn't ready to socialize with anyone outside of her close group of friends.

Right now however, seeing Bonnie stand in the cold, as usual, isolating herself from the rest of the group, as she's been doing for the past two weeks, Caroline decided she'd had enough.

The blond vampire slammed her mug to the counter before she stopped into the study were Jeremy and Damon were still arguing, Jeremy now free from Damon's death grip and a little bloody.

"So, if you guys are done being childish and stupid," Caroline began, "I think it's high time we figured out what we're going to do about our Bonnie situation."

Jeremy shook his head. "The only Bonnie situation we have is who's going to New Orleans with her," this stated with a death glare to Damon.

"Yea," the blue eyed man began. "That's already—"

"Both of you, stop," Alaric stated as he stood to his feet. "We're losing her more and more every day and you two… _boys_, for some reason, decided that a pissing contest for her affection is this best way to solve things."

Caroline smiled at the older man. "Thanks Ric." Now looking to everyone else she continued. "So I was thinking, next weekend, all the boys can come back to Mystic Falls and we girls can stay on campus and party it up."

Jeremy looked at Caroline confused. "Why would we have to come all the way home? We could all party together like we've been doing all year."

Standing to his feet and crossing the room, Damon informed the youngling, "So that you don't have to listen to your sister or ex have loud ridiculous sex."

Quickly changing the subject, Elena suggested, "What if we throw her a party?"

"Big deal, you throw her one, take her to one. What's the difference?"

Elena looked to Caroline. "Remember the themed parties Grams would throw for her?" Caroline beamed as she nodded. "Bonnie mentioned a while ago that they were going to have one last party for her eighteenth birthday but I mean, what if we throw it?"

Bouncing on her toes as she clapped, Caroline cheered. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes." She plopped down next to Elena on the couch. "So we need to figure out the theme and we have to get this place decorated—"

"Whoa!" Damon blurted. "I'm afraid you've scrambled what little miniscule piece of brain you have left, if you think you're going to throw a party here."

Alaric joined Damon at the buffet and poured himself a glass of the liquor Damon had been holding by the neck since his house had been offered up. "Who are we kidding. Like Bonnie is ever going to leave this place and Damon long enough to party at Whitmore."

The sound of Jeremy clearing his throat grabbed everyone's attention. "So, what's the theme?"

Caroline wasn't surprised when Damon admitted. "I think I might have a pretty good idea."

* * *

If Matt Donavan didn't have a pickup truck, Damon would have probably been running these last minute party errands with Alaric. Now here he was two counties over, antiquing with the oversized blond and bickering over chairs like a married couple.

"I think we should have gotten all different chairs and just use them to set the table."

Damon rolled his eyes. "I think you should shut up."

The pair finished loading the chairs into the bed of the truck and as Damon closed the tailgate, Matt looked over his list. "So now we just need mason jars, lanterns and tea cups?"

"He can read," was the muttered reply.

Matt began to head back to the large barn that had been converted into a shop. "Hey, don't get pissy with me cause you want everything to be perfect for your girlfriend," he teased.

The snarky narcissist easily caught up with him. "I'm sorry, my what?" The duo walked in stride as they approached the door and when Matt reached to open it, Damon placed a hand on the door, holding it in place.

The human chuckled. "Come off it. Elena told me ages ago that you cared about Bonnie but I didn't realize until now, how much."

Damon threw open the door and strode inside. "What's wrong with caring about someone that has saved my life more times than the years I've known her?" He saw the stupid grin on the dumb boy's face. "Hell, I've brought her back from the dead, we've died together and have come back from that death together. So I figured, ya know, she's not too bad of a person."

With a nod, Matt grabbed a hand basket and picket up a teacup and saucer, studying them before he placed them in the basket. "It's just strange how close you two are."

Wanting to control the sudden bout of aggravation he had with Matt and himself, Damon confessed, "Again, death, death and more death." He guffawed. "I swear, you and Alaric."

"Can see right through the lies and denial you and Bonnie are drowning in?" He placed another teacup, then mason jar into the basket. Matt began to make his way to the next table. "I just never thought I'd see the day where the big and all powerful Damon Salvatore planned a party for self sacrificing Bonnie Bennett."

Damon laughed. "Keep it up and it might be the last day you see."

Two hours later and Damon found himself engaged in another couple activity, with yet another, buff for no reason, male. He and Alaric were now standing in the local flower shop, watching as the florist put together potential arrangements for their party.  
The woman held up some kind of flower, in a shade of blue and staring at Damon with wide eyes and a toothy grin stated, "This would really bring out your eyes." She turned to Alaric. "Your boyfriend has amazing eyes."

The history buff laughed and Damon grabbed the woman by the chin, turned her face until their eyes met and demanded, "Get lost."

As the woman scurried off, Alaric whined, "Oh come on sweetie, she was only trying to help. You're always such a grouchy pants."

Damon shook his head. "Remind me why we brought you back from the other side?"

"Because you missed your hubby," Alaric joked.

Ignoring him, Damon began to pick a few delphiniums. He studied them and added baby's breath and daisies to the cluster. Seeing the look of confusion on Alaric's face, from his sudden interest in flowers, Damon held them towards the man.

"How's this?"

Alaric shrugged. "Yea, whatever man."

The vampire continued to pluck more of the flowers, before he made his way to the spools of ribbon and held the the bushel up to the different colors.

"The blue looks fine." Alaric offered.

Not agreeing with his opinion at all, Damon grabbed the off white satin. He made his way back to the counter and whistled for the florist's return.

The woman returned and began to snip the stems and make smaller bundles, which she tied with ribbon before placing in vases.

"So, you're going through a lot of trouble for a party you don't even know Bonnie will like."

He scoffed. "What teenage girl wouldn't love this theme?"

Alaric plucked a white rose. "And you're an expert on teenage girls?"

Damon eyed the woman, who earlier assumed he was gay, as he stated, "I've fucked enough of them."

The woman blushed as he gave her his most charming smile.

His friend laughed. "But you haven't had sex with Bonnie though."

Damon wanted to throw in a 'yet' but he found his eyes were drawn to a lone white peony and he decided that Bonnie needed it.

Once his ordered was boxed and paid for, Alaric helped him load his new car, before he continued on his way, promising to see him later that evening.

Damon slid into the driver seat of his antique Mustang convertible and was about to start the engine, when his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, saw that it was Enzo and hesitated to answer.

"What?"

"So, I just got off the phone with Caroline and found out that she wasn't told to grab a costume for me, for tonight's soirée." He chuckled. "I figured it was a mistake since I'm sort of involved with the honoree's best friend, so I had her rectify this."

Damon slinked down into his seat. "Well, as long as it's okay with Bonnie—"

Enzo laughed at this. "Yeah, I just talked to her, she says it's fine."

"Great," he muttered, letting the word stew in sarcasm.

"Oh and are you still anti blonds, pro brunette's?"

Damon started his car. "Always. Blonds are a terrible waste of time, as are you. So I will see you later my friend."

"Can't wait."

He disconnected the call, put the car into gear and was about to head home, when something caught his eye.

Damn quickly put the car back in park, cut the engine and got out of the vehicle.

* * *

Bonnie stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

She and Elena had spent a glorious day pampering themselves in the salons of Mystic Falls. She was a little upset that Caroline couldn't join them but after a full body relaxation massage, she had felt better. As the masseuse had worked, Bonnie had felt her skin, muscles, nerves and entire being start to hum, coming back to life.

When her friend had suggested manicures and pedicures, she had genuinely smiled. Her fingers and toenails had been painted and now, she used her nude tinted fingertips to weave through her locks.

Elena had suggested a trim and once she was seated in the chair, Bonnie had blurted out her request to the stylist. The woman and Elena had looked at her with shock yet after her freshly cropped bob was styled, they marveled at her new look and applauded her spur of the moment decision.

Blond hair suited her well.

Now she looked herself over, freshly showered and dressed in a nude bra and panty set and although she felt a little narcissistic thinking so, she knew she looked great. The new color with her chocolate skin tone really made her eyes appear more green, her makeup now accenting it as well.

There was a swift knock on the door, before it flew open and Caroline entered. She was dressed in tight slacks, a tailored vest and killer heels, balancing a box in her hands. The vampire came to a full stop when she spotted her.

"Holy shit Bonnie, you look smoking hot!"

She laughed. "You donn't look so bad yourself."

Caroline set the box on the counter and played with the ends of Bonnie's hair. "You are going to break some hearts with this look." A beat. "Not that you were a dog before, of course."

"Of course."

The bubbly woman pulled the lid off the box she'd brought in. "We need to hurry or you're going to be late."

Bonnie watched her pull out a blue dress, the bodice tight and low cut and the skirt short and full.

"Late for what?"

Caroline handed the dress to Bonnie and as the witch slid into it, she pulled out a pocket watch and checked the time. "For a very important date."

The new blond slid her arms through the cap sleeves and turned for Caroline to zip her, which she did.

"I've a date I don't know about?"

Her friend nodded and fluffed Bonnie's hair before she pulled out a hairband. It was black, with a tiny teacup and saucer haphazardly placed on it, a strand of beige tulle hung from the cup, making a veil that almost resembled a spilt drink. Caroline placed it atop Bonnie's head, helped her step into the white thigh high stockings and black sky high Mary Jane heels, before finally tied her into a white apron.

When she was done, Caroline spun her, so that Bonnie could look herself over in the full length mirror. Her mouth fell open, as she gushed, "Am I Alice?"

"Yes," Caroline beamed. "And we're late for a very important date."

"And you're my fluffy white escort?"

Grabbing her hand, Caroline pulled her out of the bathroom and across her room, at the boarding house. "No reason to bring race into it."

They laughed as they made their way down the stairs. Caroline pulled her through the house and when they made it to the back door, Bonnie reached for the handle.

Caroline slapped her hand away and when Bonnie looked at her questioning, her friend reached into the pocket of her vest and pulled out a flask. The words 'Drink Me' were etched across the front.

Laughing, Bonnie uncapped it and took a drink. The whiskey infused with lemon and honey slid down her throat.

"This was the last party me and Grams were going to have," she confessed and wiped away a tear.

She was immediately hugged by Caroline. "Don't cry yet, we haven't gotten to the fun part."

Caroline opened the back door and stepped aside. Bonnie stepped over the threshold and into the backyard, pausing momentarily to catch her breath.

The stone steps, leading down to the lower patio were lined on both sides with teacups and saucers, each one filled with water and a floating tealight candle to illuminate the path. At the bottom of the steps was a table, set with a pink table cloth beneath another of lace. It waited beneath a sweeping tree, whose trunk was wrapped in lights, as many hung from the branches. There were vases filled with delphiniums, baby's breath and daisies, tea pots, mason jars filled with drinks, and lanterns holding light on the table as well.

Silver cover platters sat at every seat, a three tiered center piece full of pastries was in the center and all of her friends waited.

Elena's hair was pulled back, as she wore a red dress covered in black hearts, similar to Bonnie's, her lips painted a striking crimson. Matt and Tyler awaited in high waisted red pants, yellow shirts with large white collars and equally large blue bow ties. She could tell they were trying to hide their discomfort as they smiled at her beneath their beanies with flags atop.

Enzo wore a hideous purple striped suit and the smile he sent at her completed his look. Beside him was Alaric in a long blue coat, hood pulled over his head and a large hookah at his side.

Bonnie turned to her fellow blond. "Thank you," she whispered.

"This was all Damon's idea."

Caroline stepped around Bonnie and made her way to the table. She whispered something to Damon, whose back was still to Bonnie, before the man stood and faced her.

He wore a pair of green slacks, a matching vest and a light brown blazer. A green top hat perched atop his raven hair and a devil may care grin plastered on his face as he approached her.

At the bottom of the stairs, he reached for her hand, which she placed in his, before she carefully walked down, until she was on the same level as him.

Immediately her arms wrapped around him as she sobbed. "Thank you so much."

Damon returned the hug and when they broke apart told her, "Consider it all a thank you for resaving my life." He pecked her cheek as he discreetly dropped something into the pocket of her apron. "Open that later."

She smiled as he walked her to the table where their friends waited.

* * *

After everyone was seated, Bonnie casted a warming spell to cocoon her and everyone at the table. The eight feasted on roasted lamb, baby carrots and red potatoes. They sipped hot hibiscus tea and Long Island ones as well. They laughed as they picked at cupcakes, petit fours and cookies.

Damon watched Bonnie interact with everyone and felt a sense of pride. Of course he would be the one to fix the witch. He was always the one who was able to help Bonnie and it filled him with a sense of pride. Her two best friends and ex hadn't been able to do anything to break her out of her rut, so the almighty Damon Salvatore took care of it.

Elena who sat to his right, took a sip of the alcoholic beverage that filled her clear jar, as she turned to face him.

"How'd you do it?"

An eyebrow shot into his hairline. "I haven't the foggiest idea as to what you're talking about."

The Queen of Hearts smirked. "Oh come on." She gently shoved him with her free hand as she laughed. "How'd you get her to tell you about her secret obsession with Alice in Wonderland?"

Having not actually known that, he frowned because he honestly had no idea that the girl loved the book, until she had turned into blubbering mess once he'd seated her at the head of the other end of the table.

"It was a lucky guess," he shrugged before taking a swallow of his whiskey.

The brunette pouted. "Are you trying to take my job as best friend?"

Damon chuckled, having forgotten how adorable drunken Elena was. "Trust me, you can have the rom coms, boys and period conversations."

Elena grimaced before she turned away from him and began to strike up a conversation with Matt.

Feeling a slap at his shoulder, Damon faced Enzo.

"What?"

The man laughed. "Still feeling the same way about blonds?"

"Fuck off."

Enzo leaned closer to his frenemy, "You wouldn't happen to have the hots for our dear little former Anchor now, would you?"

Damon scoffed. "Of course not." He brandished his hand in the air. "This is a mere 'Thanks for saving our asses once again' party."

"Speech!" Tyler sloppily shouted.

Slowly everyone else joined him and a drunken chant was started, yet no one was standing to deliver said speech.

Leave everything to Damon of course, were his thoughts as he stood. Yet once everyone turned to face him, a collective gasp filled the air, while everyone stared behind him.

The blue eyed vampire turned as well.

There stood Stefan, smiling as though he hadn't been absent for months but merely minutes late to the party.

A sinister grin covered his face as he asked, "So, would this make me the jabberwocky?"


	4. Sshhhh

**Sshhhh (or a Lap Dog vs. a Mutt Left in the Rain)**

There was an awkward moment, when both Elena and Caroline stood to greet Stefan. The women eyed one another before making their way to the hazel eyed vampire. He gave Elena a one armed hug and ruffled her perfectly styled hair, then smirked at her while he gave Caroline a bear hug and kissed the crown of her head.

"Where have you been?" the blond asked.

Stefan shrugged. "Well, we should probably just say," a pause. "I was enjoying this world and all the wonderful things it has to offer.

Damon carefully eyed his brother, as the younger sibling scanned the table, assessing the situation. He rose to his feet and headed over to Stefan as the girls made their way back to their seats. The brother's embraced and while they held one another Stefan asked

"How'd you manage to get back?"

He turned the sandy haired man towards the table. "No clue," he pointed to the new blond among them. "But this is a 'thanks for saving our asses again' party for Bonnie, so you are right on time."

Stefan smiled as he made his way to the witch, giving everyone a small wave as he passed their seat. When he stood before Bonnie, he grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. Damon watched the two embrace, Stefan's hand sliding low on the girl's back as his fingers stretched, almost grazing her ass. He whispered something into her ear and Damon could see the light flush sweep across her cheeks and nose, as she giggled.

Everyone watched as Stefan sat in Bonnie's chair and quickly pulled the witch onto his lap.

Damon returned to his seat, amazed that Bonnie wasn't trying in the least to get away from the vampire. He wanted to listen to his brother's tales of travel but couldn't take his eyes off Bonnie, in his lap. Stefan kept his left arm wrapped around her waist, as he picked at her food, answering questions between bites.

Why wasn't Bonnie trying to get away from him and why was no one else making a big deal over their actions but laughing and continuing to drink. Clearly the alcohol was doing its job, playing a factor in it all.

Stefan was telling a story about the few weeks he'd spent in Vancouver, when Damon couldn't hold back his uneasiness anymore.

"No one is worried about no humanity Stefan just walking in here, setting Bonnie on his lap and chatting it up like he hasn't been gone for months?"

Tweedle Dee or maybe it was Tweedle Dumb spoke up. "He seems like the old Stefan."

His brother eyed him. "Well, for your information, I do have my humanity back." He bounced Bonnie on his knee. "And who wouldn't want a gorgeous woman on their lap?"

Again he whispered something to the girl and she laughed before taking a sip from her mason jar. He watched Stefan and Bonnie have yet another private conversation, before she offered him a sip from her drink.

Damon stood, almost knocking back his chair. "Can I have a word with you brother? Privately?"

The vampire rolled his eyes with a huff, "Sure."

Everyone watched Stefan and Bonnie stand, his hands holding her hips to steady her drunken lack of balance. Once he'd helped her back into her seat, the brothers made their way into the house.

Leaning against the counter Damon studied his brother. "So, not that I'm not glad to see you but if your humanity is back on, why are you kinda acting like Ripper Stefan?"

Stefan shrugged. "Because Ripper Stefan is closer to who I actually am." He looked him up and down. "You don't think you hold a monopoly on Douchey Salvatore Brother Syndrome, do you?"

Damon couldn't help but laugh. "Ok," he reached in the fridge, pulled out a blood pack and tossed it to him. Stefan caught it, ripped off the cap and began to suck down the liquid. "What made you come back now though?"

After he'd finished his snack, Stefan placed the empty pack in the trash, before facing his brother. "Well, I was in New Orleans, when I ran into Lucy. She said she was a little surprised that I wasn't here to welcome back my brother and Bonnie—"

"I tried calling you," Damon interrupted, genuinely upset because he had tried contacting his brother often.

"I changed my number a while ago." He nodded towards the back door. "Those guys were bugging the shit out of me right after you and Bonnie died." They both stood in silence for a few seconds. "Speaking of Bonnie…"

Damon guffawed. "Why are we speaking of Bonnie?"

An eyebrow quirked. "So you're not interested in her?"

The eldest brother began to head to the parlor, Stefan right on his heels. "Nope," Damon replied as he poured them each a drink.

"You sure?" Stefan reiterated, accepting the glass that was offered.

They clinked the rims of their glasses together. "Positive." The pair each took a sip of their drink. "Why? Are you interested in the witch?"

Stefan chuckled. "Well, you know I've always secretly had a thing for blonds."

The blue eyed vampire plopped down into one of the chairs. "What about Vampire Barbie? I thought you two were kinda having a moment for a while."

The other man shrugged and took the seat across from him. "We'll see where that heads and not everything is about fucking."

Damon smirked. "Well, that clearly means you're doing it wrong." He took another sip of his drink. "And I doubt Caroline will ever have sex with you if you sleep with yet another one of her friends."

"And you think Bonnie will sleep with you after you've already had both of hers?"

Having not thought of this before, Damon leaned back in his chair. He sure as hell hadn't taken that into consideration when the thought of spreading Bonnie beneath him had first entered his mind. Maybe now he could use this as a spring board to get the idea of something more between him and the girl, out of his head. And if his brother might possibly be interested, then he really didn't want to let another girl come between them, especially after how the last had played out.

"I'm not interested in the witch."

Stefan slowly nodded, with a look on his face that screamed bullshit. "Well, I'm not _interested_ interested in the witch but I think I can help her out in a couple departments."

Damon sat up, having not liked his brother's tone at all. "Meaning?"

"Sshhhh, the ladies are coming."

The pair turning to the doorway and saw Caroline and Elena with an inebriated Bonnie between them. The hazel eyed woman singing a song that sounded playful, silly and sexy all in one. Her friends laughed, occasionally joining in as they turned and began to head up the stairs.

"Look," Damon began. "Bonnie has been going through a bit of a rough time since she and I have been back. She's lonely, depressed and the girls have been concerned, so I threw her a cheer up party."

Stefan took a swig of his whiskey. "She and Jeremy aren't together anymore I'm assuming?"

A scoff. "Finally."

"So Bonnie just needs a thorough cheering up?"

Damon nodded, skeptical of his brother's wording. "Exactly. That's all I was trying to do here."

They sat in a comfortable silenced, sipping their drinks and enjoying the quiet. Soon the sounds of the rest of the group entering the kitchen and putting away food and drinks and loading the dishwasher filled the air. After another twenty minutes Elena and Caroline came bounding down the stairs.

"We got Bonnie into the shower, so she should be out and in her pajamas soon," Elena informed them, her eyes looking from Stefan to Damon. "Keep an ear out for her."

"I always do."

Tyler, Enzo, Matt and Alaric entered the hallway. They mentioned they'd cleared the table in the back and were going to head to Tyler's home for the evening. As everyone bundled up, Alaric made his way into the room, poured a drink and joined the brother's.

Once everyone had walked out the front door, Stefan's former teacher asked, "So what's going on in here?"

"Whole lot of nothing." Stefan answered. Both Alaric and Damon watched as he stood, drink in hand and began to leave the room. "Not that I don't miss you both but I'm going to hit the bed. All this traveling has made me tired."

As Damon watched his brother head up the stairs, he knew it wasn't a coincidence that they'd both heard the shower stop running, before he'd done so.

* * *

Bonnie sat on the edge of her bed, wrapped in a towel as she spread the lotion on her legs. She still felt the buzz from the alcohol within her and along with the appreciation of her friends and the delicious foods and beautiful scenery of her party, Bonnie felt almost back to normal.

The fact that Damon had been the one to orchestrate everything and had suggested the Alice in Wonderland theme, made her heart sing. And that feeling still made her worry. That feeling that she got whenever she thought of the vampire or saw him. She hated, yet loved the way he made her feel.

Then there was the fact that she still had that incomplete feeling where he was concerned. She did feel better now, about herself, not as lost but when it came to Damon, she still felt like something was missing. As though something significant had happened between them (apart from dying), that she should know about. It was almost as if, there was more to their relationship, that they didn't know about.

Thinking of the man, made her remember his present and she quickly stood and made her way to the chair in the room, that her dress was draped across. Her hand slid into the apron and her fingers came across the soft velvet of a jewelry case.

A knock at the door made her pull her hand from the box and she turned her attention to it. It slowly opened and there stood Stefan, causing a heat to rush over her body, from being so underdressed and his behavior earlier.

She felt a little embarrassed of her very own behavior at the table and had, as the once popular song claimed, 'blamed it on the alcohol'. He'd whispered extremely flattering things into her ear, admitting to having had a crush on her when he and Elena had first started dating, admiring her magic and beautiful looks.

"Can I come in?" he asked in that almost shy, yet still confident manner of his.

Bonnie looked around the room for her pajamas she'd lain out. "Uh yea… just let me get dressed."

Stefan entered the room and handed her his glass, before he went to her closet. "I'll find you something."

She laughed and pointed. "My jammies are right there—"

"And that won't be appropriate for where we're heading." He faced her, holding a coral bandage dress. "Wear this."

"It's almost midnight!" The look he gave her made her feel like the kid in junior high who refused to sneak into a PG13 movie, at the age of twelve. She set his glass down on the dresser as she approached him. "Where are we going?"

"Out," was his answer with a shrug. When he handed her the dress, his eyes raked over her body. "Damon told me you were feeling a little lost." Now his eyes met hers. "I remember that feeling and I know sometimes you just have to let go. Say fuck it and let loose. Enjoy being Bonnie and finding out who she is."

Her eyes studied his face and she could only nod, knowing that Stefan had had amnesia for a while and hadn't remembered significant moments from his own past.

She nodded and smiled. "How long do I have to get ready?"

He grinned. "Take all the time you need."

* * *

His smile was contagious, was all Bonnie could think while she held tight to Stefan's arm, as he helped her into the boarding house. The sun was rising and so was the skirt of her dress, so she grabbed at the hem and tried to pull it down. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold, her heels were kicked to the side and she dropped to her actual height.

"You are so short," Stefan teased.

Her eyes scanned the stairs. "You have too many stairs."

Before she could debate going up that long stairwell or just submitting to the plush couch, Stefan had thrown her over his shoulder. A squeal she'd never heard, escaped her mouth and she giggled as he tiptoed up the stairs.

"Sshhhh, you're going to wake Damon," he chastised before spanking her bottom.

At the top of the stairs, the aforementioned vampire waited, just outside his bedroom.

"Yeah, too late for that." Damon frowned. "Where the shit have you two been? I've been calling her all night and surprise, no answer."

Stefan shrugged. "Too busy having fun," he replied as he continued to her room.

Once in her bedroom, Stefan set her to her feet and Bonnie immediately reached for the zipper of the dress. She motioned for him to help and once he had unzipped her, she slid the dress down to the floor and stepped out of it.

"I'm going to sleep," she announced as she made her way to the bed in her underwear.

She saw the playful look in his eyes, as he asked, "Is that an invitation for me to join you?" He must have seen the skeptical look on her face because he quickly added. "Strictly platonic of course. It's been so long since I've slept here," a pout. "I might get scared."

At this point she was seated in the bed and pulling the covers up to her chin. "No funny business."

He stripped off his shirt and Bonnie bit her bottom lip, trying to hide her pleasure of seeing his well toned abdominal and oblique muscles. His fingers undid the button and zipper on his pants and his eyes watched hers, as he slid them off.

She cursed his phenomenal hearing, when he chuckled at her sharp intake of breath.

"See something you like?" he asked as he approached her side of the bed in just his boxers.

Bonnie was about to protest when he climbed in but he only scrambled across her, touching too much of her skin, as he made his way to the other side of the bed. He settled down, on top of the duvet, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"How could Elena ever leave you?"

He frowned. "It's not a question I ask myself anymore." A sigh. "But let's not ruin our fun night with talks of the bitter past."

She nodded and fully laid back upon the downy pillows. "You're right." She turned her head to face him. "I kinda wish tonight didn't have to end."

"Greedy greedy little witch." He chuckled. "It has to end, so that we can repeatedly try to top it."

* * *

It had been an entire week of their nonsense and Damon was getting fed up. Every morning, without fail, he was woken up around five thirty or six with the sound of Bonnie giggling, while Stefan shushed her. The pair would stumble into her room, undress and climb into bed. There'd then be more giggles from the witch and Stefan making promises to make the next night out even better.

Damon knew Bonnie still hadn't opened her gift from him because two days after her party he'd made his way into her room to see if she were awake, so that they could talk.

He'd genuinely missed her like crazy. Yes, he'd seen her in those days but it was always in passing. Either walking in on her eating yogurt in the kitchen or napping on the couch in the parlor, having fallen asleep while reading. And while she slept her days away, he found himself busy with Alaric or the Sheriff, dealing with something stupid, boring and ordinary.

That late morning he'd walked into her room, he'd been not too pleased at the mess he found. The witch had always been extremely tidy and it was one of the reasons he hadn't thrown a fit about her moving in, because it was now official, since the two properties she owned in their town were now on the market. And this was the reason he'd sought her out.

He had been driving back from checking on the progress for the rebuild of the Mystic Grill (which he'd given the town a very generous contribution for (since he'd kind of blown it up in the first place)), when he'd seen an open house sign, on the Bennett front lawn. Something told him to make a trip down Sycamore and again, he found yet another sign in front of Sheila Bennett's old house.

Completely livid, he'd high tailed it home and no he wasn't mad that she had no intentions of leaving his house, but was more upset that she was wiping her hands of the two homes that she'd known the longest and had the biggest connection to, in town. Just like Elena burning down her house, he knew that this would be one of those spur of the moment decisions a stupid girl made while numb to her surroundings, that would bite her in the ass when her head was, once again, on straight.

Back at his and his brother's home, he stormed into her room and looked over the mess. Dresses, jeans, different tops and underwear of all sorts littered the floor. The dress she'd worn to her party was draped over the back of the chair and he could tell from the bulge at the bottom of the apron, she still hadn't looked at what he'd gotten her.

He turned to look at her, laid on her side, with Stefan cuddled up close behind her, his chin on her shoulder, peering across the room at him.

"You should be embarrassed, acting like a lap dog," Damon said just loud enough for his bother to hear.

Stefan smiled, "Better the lap dog, than the mutt left out in the rain," was his reply as he tucked a strand of hair behind Bonnie's ear and kissed her temple.

Damon walked to the chair, fished his present from the apron and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Now on day eight (he really had no clue why he was counting) he stomped his way into the house and into the kitchen. There he found Stefan at the sink, rinsing a bowl of assorted fruits. His brother looked to him and smirked.

"How's the weather?"

Damon shrugged. "It's finally starting to feel like spring." His eyes sweeped the room. "Where's your master?"

Stefan listened to the house for a second. "I guess she's out of the shower." He moved the fruit from the bowl to a colander and shook off the excess water. "Do you need her?"

He plucked a grape from the vine. "Not at all."

"Upset cause she's spending all this time with me?"

Damon eyed him suspiciously. "Are you trying to make me jealous?"

His brother shrugged as he sat at the island and examined a strawberry. "Did you know Bonnie has the biggest sweet tooth in all of existence? Last night she got destroyed on tequila and ate three slices of tiramisu, so I figured I'd get her some fruit." He chuckled. "I told her she's getting a little wide in the hips." He took a bite of the strawberry and looked to Damon. "I'm sure you've noticed as much as you stare at her ass."

Swiping another grape, he squeezed the fruit instead of Stefan's head. Why was this kid trying to torment him and remind him of those feelings he'd buried deep inside himself about the girl. Feelings that he sure as hell hadn't admitted to anyone, yet it seemed Alaric, Matt and now his brother had him all figured out.

"No idea what you're talking about."

Stefan nodded. "So you're trying to make me believe that those women you've been bringing home all week are satisfying you?"

Damon smirked. "Believe what you will." He chuckled. "At least one of us is getting laid."

"Some things are much better than sex." The hazel eyed vampire looked to the doorway. "Sshhhh, Bonnie's coming."

No sooner than the words were out of his mouth, Bonnie was in the room, wearing a tight tank top and tiny shorts and making him regret every foul thing he'd ever said about blonds.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear," Damon greeted.

Her eyes cut to him and she rolled them, a giant smile on her face the entire time. "Good morning to you too Damon." She looked to Stefan and saw the variety of fruit and gasped. "Oh my God! I thought you were kidding when you said you'd do this."

Stefan laughed and looked to Damon as he stated. "I'm just that amazing."

Bonnie kissed his cheek as she grabbed a handful of raspberries. "Thanks." She popped the fruit into her mouth. "How've you been Damon? I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"I'm still here, so there's that."

Bonnie sifted through the fruit, as though she were looking for something in particular.

"Did I leave something out?" Stefan asked.

Damon walked to the refrigerator and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a tomato and rinsed it off. "Only the best fruit ever."

The witch immediately snatched it from him. "I love tomatoes more than life itself!"

The man smiled to his younger brother. "Dumb dumb here always forgets that tomatoes are also a fruit."

Stefan rolled his eyes. "It's like the anti-fruit. Why have tomatoes when you can have peaches and apples?"

"I would think after all your years on this earth you'd have learned that these," Bonnie shook the tomato in his face, before taking a big bite, "are the best."

"Gross," the younger brother said wrinkling his nose.

Bonnie turned back to Damon. "I've been meaning to ask…" she paused. "I didn't want to because I didn't want you to think I'm irresponsible but… I can't find that present you gave me for the life of me. I remember you putting it in the apron of my costume but I can't find it anywhere."

He grimaced and quickly a lie was spilling from his lips. "Well, I didn't see you with it, so I assumed you didn't like it and wanted something else."

He watched the pretty girl pout. "I'm sorry, I hadn't even opened it yet." She now smiled. "Can I still have it?"

"Psh, you don't even deserve it," he teased. "Running the streets with a damn ripper into the wee hours of the morning like some harlot."

Damon instantly regretted his words when he felt the familiar sting and pop of his blood vessels bursting, healing and bursting again.

"Okay, okay, I was joking. I'm sorry," he cried grabbing at his head. "Knock it off."

"It's not me," she confessed, face etched with worry, before she doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach as blood gushed from her nostrils.

Stefan was on his feet. "What's going on?"

Instead of answering, the pair fell to their knees, his hands on his head and hers at her stomach.

"I don't know," she cried. "Make it stop. Make it stop."

Yet as soon as the words were out of her mouth, the pain ebbed.

Stefan helped her to her feet, while Damon stood. He grabbed a rag and wet it, before he wiped the blood from Bonnie's face.

"What the shit was that?" Damon asked staring at Bonnie in bewilderment.

She shook her head. "I don't know but I think we need to get to New Orleans soon."

* * *

**Author's Note****: **So Stefan is a hot mess and is bringing Bonnie along for the ride. I love fun, joking, witty and flirty Stefan. We won't venture into his head for another couple chapters yet but when we do...

And my apologies if this chapter felt like more of a filler.


	5. Two Hundred Fifty Seven Days

**Two Hundred Fifty Seven Days (or Who Hasn't Fucked A Mikaelson)**

It didn't take long for word to spread that the Salvatore brothers were spotted in the French Quarter with a very pretty girl.

Stefan had just barely compelled the young hipster couple to leave their apartment and he, Bonnie and Damon were staking claim to rooms, when there was a knock on the door.

"Got it," Damon called as he pulled the door open. Upon seeing who was on the other side, he chuckled. "Of course you'd be the person to greet us and not some breast baring bead seeker?"

Klaus Mikaelson laughed as he placed his hands on the door frame. "Ah, come on mate, I'm sure you've missed me and all the excitement I brought to that dull town of yours." Damon watched his eyes scan the living room before they landed back on him. "And I have to ask, why would you step foot into my city?"

Damon shrugged. "A little business and hopefully lots of pleasure." He heard Bonnie returning to the main room and decided to step into the hall, before Klaus could see her.

As he shut the door behind him, Klaus smirked. "Not trying to keep it a secret that the Bennett witch is with you, now are we?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

The Original looked down at his feet. "You know I could compel the truth out of you but," he met Damon's eyes, "where's the fun in that? Besides you and your brother aren't known for hanging out with too many, pretty petite blond haired black women." He chuckled. "So I'm assuming Ms. Bennett got a new hairstyle."

"What do you care about Bonnie?"

Klaus looked genuinely hurt as he confessed. "She's a very lovely girl but we all know your distaste for blonds, my sister included, so naturally I was curious as to why she's here and not that your dear sweet Elena."

Both sets of eyes looked to the door, as Stefan cracked it open. "Hello Klaus."

"Stefan!" he exclaimed as he stepped around Damon. "Your brother seems to have forgotten his manners and is being rather cold to me out here. I'm sure your hospitality is much grander than his and you'd be so kind as to invite me inside."

Stefan faked a look of disappointment. "Well, I would but the lovely couple who own the place aren't here so…"

Klaus pushed the door completely open and walked over the threshold. "And I forgot to mention I ran into said lovely couple and got myself an invite."

Damon stepped inside and Stefan closed the door behind them.

"Look," Damon started. "We didn't come to start any trouble. Just needed to come and get some information from Bonnie's cousin."

Klaus crossed the room and fell into one of the chairs. "And what, pray tell do you need with Lucy?"

"It's a family matter," Bonnie answered, stepping into the room.

Klaus nodded as he looked over his shoulder at her. "Well aren't we a lovely sight?" He sped over to her and stroked her chin gently. "I do have a soft spot for pretty blonds from Mystic Falls, you know?"

Bonnie stepped out of his reach. "Yeah, I heard." She let put a breath. "What do you want Klaus."

The man turned on his heels and headed over towards the brothers. "I just wanted to extend an invite to you all, to join me and some friends for supper tonight." He thought for a second. "Consider it a welcoming party."

Damon frowned as he opened the door.

"Thanks for the invite but we'll pass," he said at precisely the same moment Stefan said, "We'll be there."

"Great!" Klaus stepped back into the hall. "You know where I reside, so I expect to see you all around eight o'clock tonight then."

As Klaus headed down the hall towards the stairwell, Damon slammed the door and glared at his brother. "Are you insane? Why would you agree to go to his house?"

"His parties are fun and we did come here to have some fun, didn't we?" Stefan shrugged. "Or did I misunderstand that part."

"That part never existed!" Bonnie shrieked. "The plan was to be in and out, really quick without getting noticed."

"Hmm," he stepped into the hall leading to the bedrooms. "Well it's already been agreed upon, so we need to hustle and find you something to wear."

* * *

Surprisingly dinner went well.

Niklaus and Marcel Gerard were gracious hosts. The food was delicious, the drinks strong and the blood, fresh from a gaggle of beautiful woman, compelled and willing to supply them til the last drop. There was a particular red head who seemed to be searching for something in the crotch of Damon's pants. And he would have loved to take her to the room Klaus had offered him for the night, and do unspeakable things to her until sunrise, but he really didn't like the way Marcel was smiling at Bonnie.

Marcel had greeted them at the door, with a smile that Damon was sure probably made woman throw themselves at his feet. As soon as his eyes had landed on Bonnie, in her black tight fitted crop top and tight little white, high waited pencil skirt and nude heels, he'd grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. When the girl had giggled and allowed herself to be ushered into the home, Damon made a hanging motion at his brother.

"I'm sure if you just told her you liked her, this wouldn't be an issue," was all that Stefan said as he followed them inside.

Klaus had been waiting at the table, seated with four beautiful women. Everyone had sat, while Marcel made one of the girls move so that Bonnie was at his side.

Throughout the meal, Damon noticed the vampire's fingers graze the witch's face, tuck strands of hair behind her ear and fully laugh at all of her jokes. He could only imagine, that if Bonnie were to ever allow a vampire into her heart, this would be the guy. Dark smooth complexion, dazzling smile and bright eyes, hell Damon was almost captivated by his looks and charm.

And although he knew the woman would never take any romantic gestures from a vampire seriously, he knew that if she would, he'd still never have a chance with her.

So when Gabriella's hand landed on his crotch again, he grabbed her hand and led her out the double doors to the courtyard. The moon was full, the breeze was cool and the stars were bright, the perfect kind of night for draining a woman dry. The girl smiled at him as she pulled her hair off her shoulder, exposing her neck to him.

He grabbed her head and turned it to an awkward angle and pierced the delicate skin of her throat with his fangs. Instead of slowly sipping from her, he gulped greedily and soon Gabriella was going limp in his arms. When he pulled away, she looked at him with heavy lidded eyes and begged him to take her upstairs.

An arm draped across her shoulder, he entered the dining hall again, noticing Stefan and two of the woman gone, Klaus with a girl in his lap and Marcel pull out Bonnie's chair for her.

Gabriella, lethargic and full of lust, grabs Bonnie's wrist throws out the question, "want to join us," in the young woman's direction.

The witch's eyes grew wide and Damon hoped for a second that she would accept the invitation. Instead she shook her head. "Good night Damon," she called as he walked through the room.

He smirked. "You too Little Bird."

Little Bird?

He had no idea where the endearment had come from but it suited her well. And this was the thought that followed him and Gabriella upstairs and to one of the guest bedrooms.

* * *

This was not how Bonnie had expected her trip to New Orleans to go.

Marcel was delicious, sweet and smart, not to mention interested and right here. Her back pressed against a tree, skirt hiked up to her hips and lipstick smeared, she tried to pull herself back into the moment. His hands were sure and experienced, and so was his tongue as he pulled her into yet another hungry kiss but her mind kept going back to Damon.

Yes it bothered her that he'd gone outside and them upstairs with the red head who had made it no secret that she was trying to give him a hand job under the table. No it didn't help that she was quite drunk. And yes she secretly wished that a paler, blue eyed vampire were pressing her against this tree but that feeling was back.

That feeling of being alive and whole again. The feeling that had been missing since she returned to life and had become a soft hum starting with her party and increasing every night she went out with Stefan.

She was again made aware of her body, when the knuckles of Marcel's right hand brushed against her, right between her thighs and fuck if she didn't almost explode from contact. It had been so long since she'd been touched in such a way and now she craved more.

Her fists clutched his collar, pulling him closer, and she brought her mouth on top of his, slipping her tongue into his mouth. Soon his fingers slid the crotch of her embarrassingly damp panties aside. She lost her balance in her shoes and he lifted her out of them, spreading her legs wider and supporting her with the weight of his body, pressing her against the tree trunk, as two fingers slid inside of her.

Their eyes met and he stared at her, giving her that charming smile as he hooked his fingers just right. She bite her lip, threw her head back and fought to keep his name from falling out of her mouth.

She lasted a minute before she shouted his name and when she did, he immediately stopped.

"What… what's wrong?" she asked, slowly coming down from her high.

He pulled his hands away from her and adjusted his clothes, as he chuckled. "Just my luck."

Bonnie stepped back into her shoes. "What's wrong?"

Marcel smirked. "Here I was thinking I'd finally found a gorgeous, smart girl who hadn't fucked a Mikaelson and I get one that shouts out a Salvatore's name while I'm knuckles deep inside of her."

"What?" she asked completely confused.

He looked her in the eyes and angrily shouted, "My name isn't fucking Damon!"

She watched him turn and stomp back towards the house.

And just like that, the emptiness was filling her body once again.

* * *

The next morning Stefan walked the two gorgeous girls to the front door, before he made his way into Klaus' kitchen to find Bonnie, Damon and Gabriella. The new girl made a show of sitting in Damon's lap and feeding him his breakfast, as Stefan and Bonnie tried to ignore them.

"What time did you want to meet up with Lucy?" he asked Bonnie, focusing all his attention on her.

She shook her head. "As soon as possible so we can head home."

The red haired woman squeezed Damon's cheeks and shook his face. "You're leaving so soon?" A pout on her face. "I wanted to have more fun with you."

Damon scoffed. "I don't have to leave with them."

"But you have to come," Bonnie almost whined. "This involves both of us and it's so important."

Damon's eyes slid from Gabriella over to Bonnie. "I mean it's not that important."

The witch's fork slammed to the table. "Fine, don't come but when I find out what's going on, don't come to me to save your ass again because you want to be lazy and fuck some random."

Stefan looked from Bonnie to his brother, who held such a self-satisfied smirk, he wanted to punch it off his face. He placed a hand on Bonnie's shoulder. "Let's stay calm and not say something that we don't mean."

"Tell that to him." She pointed at the smug man across from her. "How can you sit there and act like you don't care? How can you sit here and act as if two hundred and fifty seven days meant nothing?" Stefan saw the blood begin to seep from her nostrils. "Don't you want to know why we were forced to leave there? Why we had to leave our happiness to come back to this shitty realm?"

The brothers both stood and when they stepped towards her, Bonnie shook her head. "No, fuck you both!" She ran her fingers through her hair as she looked to the floor and tried to literally shake whatever thoughts were in her head out. "I can't…"

Before he knew it she was headed for the door and when Damon tried to speed over to her, she extended her arm and sent him flying across the room.

Stefan took a less suicidal approach and gently asked, "Bonnie, what's going on?"

"I don't know," she confessed finally meeting his eyes as she wiped the blood from her upper lip.

Damon stood to his feet. "Hey, what are you going on about? Two hundred fifty seven days?"

"I need to go," she muttered, turned on her heel and disappeared into thin air.

They were both startled by Gabriella's scream, having forgotten she was in the room.

Stefan looked to his brother exasperated. "Why the fuck did you do that?"

Damon looked around the space, as though Bonnie would reappear as magically as she had disappeared. "What did I do?"

"Trying to make her jealous." He pointed to Gabriella. "You were flirting and then practically fucked her, right in front of Bonnie."

A look of confusion crossed Damon's features. "Why would she be jealous? Bonnie doesn't like me like that and if she did you two wouldn't be all over each other all the damn time."

"You're a fucking idiot," Stefan admitted before he headed upstairs to grab his things.

* * *

She didn't know where she was. She had no idea how she had gone from having breakfast at Klaus' house to being in a dark basement. She didn't know what she had been rambling about two hundred fifty seven days or how she had sounded as though she knew more about what had happened during her and Damon's absence.

She needed to find out where she was and how to get back to where she had been. But first she needed to find a light.

The thought had barely come to mind, when the room was illuminated with candles. Candles on the floor, on the different shelves, some set on bookcases and lined the stairs to what she hoped was the main floor.

Bonnie took a step towards the stairs and stopped and screamed when a woman appeared directly in front of her.

"Who are you?" she stammered.

The dark skinned woman with a cropped gray hairstyle and glasses stared back at her. "That's not important."

Bonnie took a few steps back, until she bumped into a table. She looked over her shoulder and watched the vials shake, wax drip and pages of grimoires flutter.

"Where am I?"

The woman stepped closer to her. "Where you shouldn't be?" She placed a hand on Bonnie's chest, over her heart and the other on her stomach. "You weren't supposed to come back. You or Damon." The woman, who clearly had to be a witch shook her head. "You're not supposed to be alive again."

Bonnie pushed the woman's hands away. "What do you know about where I was?"

"Everything." The woman turned her back to Bonnie and walked over to one of the tables across the room. "Daniel and Lucy made a grave mistake bringing the two of you back and involving my Reginald too." She grabbed a bag that rested on the table and stuffed two vials into it. "You both need to take these."

"How do you know where we were?" This lady still hadn't explained anything to her yet knew everything about her and Damon and apparently knew where they had been. "And how do you know me and Damon?"

The woman slammed her hands down on the table in frustration. "Don't you know who you were?"

"I am and always will be Bonnie—"

"You are much more than Bonnie Bennett." The short woman crossed the room and searched one of the bookcase. "And he is not just Damon Salvatore. Neither of you have realized the importance of your love in this world because you have been too busy looking at the greatness in others."

Bonnie shook her head, so confused yet trying to comprehend what the woman was telling her. "Me and Damon were in love?" She tried to laugh. "That's ridiculous."

The woman rolled her eyes as she threw her arms in the air. "Please tell me you remember your time there?"

The young woman shook her head. "We don't remember. I… I didn't even know I was anywhere until I just… I snapped a few minutes ago. Like right before I disappeared and reappeared here." She took in her surroundings. "I still don't know where I am, or who or what you are?"

Now the lady smiled. "My name is LeAnn and I'm a Traveler." She grasped Bonnie's hands between hers.

Bonnie pulled from her hold. "And travelers don't like witches."

LeAnn shook her head. "I know you had a run in with a group of them, the ones that ran with Markos. His ways were too extreme and not what I believed in." She grabbed the sack and placed the book inside. Her hands searched jars of herbs on another bookcase. She found an empty one and began to put bits of different ones into it.

"Why do you think me and Damon are or should be in love?"

She laughed. "Poems have been written about your love." She placed the jar in the bag. "If you start to feel any pain or discomfort take these herbs in here with your tea or whiskey, same with him." She crossed back to the other side of the basement and grabbed another book, putting it inside the bag. "Once you've decided that you're ready to go back, and please try not to take too long deciding, there's a philtre for each of you—"

"Go back where?"

"The book will explain it all." She shook her head, as if trying to collect her thoughts. "You don't remember because you weren't supposed to come back. None of the others have ever come back. Your memory is more than likely trapped in a talisman. When you find it, you will find your memories. From there you both can decide when the two of you will return but it needs to be after you've found your talisman and it needs to be soon."

LeAnn shoved the bag into Bonnie's hands.

"When you return home three days will have passed. Hopefully that will be enough time for Damon to realize his feels for you." She smiled as she placed her hands on Bonnie's chest and stomach again. "You both have been fighting so hard against your true feelings. The times that follow will be challenging but don't lose your way Bonnie Bennett."

"But…"

The woman spoke seven words in a tongue Bonnie had never heard and once again, her surroundings changed before her eyes.

* * *

Bonnie immediately stumbled, gulping for air as she looked around her. She was back at the boarding house, on her hands and knees in the foyer, the bag LeAnn had packed, in front of her.

What The Actual Fuck Had Just Happened?

She didn't have time to think any further on this because soon Damon was at her side, helping her up.

"Where have you been?" he asked voice so full of concern and not anger as she had assumed it would have been. When she was on her feet, he looked her in the eyes. "Me and Stefan have been so worried about you." He stroked her face. "Are you alright? Were you hurt?"

Bonnie could only shake her head as he embraced her. She had no idea where she had gone, who that lady really was, if she hadn't been telling the truth or if anything she gave her would be at all helpful.

"Say something Little Bird," he pleaded.

She pulled away from him slightly, "Why did you just call me that again?"

The raven haired man shrugged. "It's just a term of endearment. Who fucking cares?" he cupped her face. "Point is, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I hurt you and I'm just glad that you're back and you're okay."

This is the man she was supposed to fall in love with? Or had already fallen in love with but had forgotten? He'd been so nice to her in the past weeks since they'd returned and she knew she didn't feel complete without him around. Was that love? Was this love?

He studied her eyes, probably well aware of the internal conflict she was going through.

"Whatever you need Bonnie, I'm here for you?" He kissed her temple. "Don't forget that."

It was too much.

Bonnie pulled out of his hold, picked up the bag LeAnn had given her and headed up the stairs. Once in her room, she kicked of her shoes and flung the rucksack across the room, not caring where it went. Her fingers racked through the bird's nest that had become of her hair.

She felt silly in her skimpy crop top and tight skirt from the night before… or was it three nights ago. The clothes needed to go. Impatiently she stripped them off, along with her panties and bra before making a beeline to the bathroom.

Under the steady stream of water in the large shower stall, she couldn't calm her mind of what LeAnn had told her, along with other things she somehow knew about Damon. Things she'd never been told.

How did she know his middle name was Giuseppe or that he knew Emily's apple pie recipe?

What did the woman mean when she had said that she was more than just Bonnie Bennett and poems were written of her and Damon's love?

When the water ran cold and her skin began to prune, she finally turned off the shower. She stepped out and vigorously dried her hair before she wrapped a towel around her body. Grabbing her bottle of lotion, she made her way back into the room, mind still reeling.

There, on her dresser sat a tiny black velvet case, a note propped against it.

Bonnie set the lotion bottle onto her nightstand and crossed the room to the dresser. She plucked up the note and unfolded it.

**_Bonnie,_**

**_I saw this the other day and thought of you. It dawned on me that all us other supernatural beings have rings and it's a shame that the most powerful of us all is lacking one. So I want to rectify this horrendous wrong and officially extend a, regretfully belated, welcoming to the Club of Supernatural Badassery. I'm sorry, for all the wrongs I've caused and am forever indebted to you._**

**_Eternally Yours,_**

**_Damon_**

Such a simple note caused her eyes to water, her breath to stop in her chest and her heart to catch in her throat. Her fingers shook as she picked up the case and when she opened it, her mouth fell open.

Inside was the most beautiful ring, its white gold design looked very antique as it circled the large pearl in the center.

She nervously pulled it onto her left index finger and she couldn't help but stare at it. It looked so perfect on her hand, the iridescent shine of the pearl made a grin cross her face. The tightness in her chest loosened and she reread the note over and over again.

Eternally Yours

Why did it sound so intimate, almost like a promise or vow? As though he would be hers until the end of time.

Eternally Yours

Her eyes scanned the room, looking for somewhere safe to place this note that went along with this ring. She spotted the jewelry case her father had given her on her thirteenth birthday. Yes, it was the perfect place to hold something that somehow was so dear to her.

A note from Damon.

Damon Giuseppe Salvatore.

Who was eternally hers.

Bonnie walked to the desk and opened the lid and there it was.

Damon's lapis lazuli day ring, he said he'd lost when they'd first returned, sat snug in the ring insert of the jewelry box as though it had been lovingly placed there. Which was mind boggling because she had just been rooting through this same box last week.

She picked up the ring and studied it, curious as to how it had ended up in her possession.

_*She and Damon sat cuddled together on a back porch, staring at a beautiful backyard as it was pummeled with rain. Her fingers twirling the large ring on her thumb._

_"Is this your original day light ring?" Bonnie asked pulling her body closer to his._

_Damon nodded as he grabbed her hand and looked down at the jewelry with fondness. "My mom gave it to me before she passed away?" He pointed at one of the details on it. "See that little 'd' there?" Bonnie nodded. "This used to belong to her older brother, who used to bare my first name. He was killed when they were teens and it was the only thing of his that she had. Of course later she had one made for Stefan so he wouldn't feel left out."_

_Bonnie cupped his face and kissed his jaw. "Thank you for letting me have it."_

_He scoffed and in a tone reminiscent of a valley girl stated, "Duh thanks for letting me have your heart."_

She needed to sit, yet the bed was too far away and pulling out the chair at the desk required too much movement. Instead she sank to her knees and sat with her feet tucked beneath her.

_*Damon letting her taste the cooked apples that were supposed to fill a pie, the same recipe that had been in her family for years._

_*His hands exploring her body as they stood in an open shower, him singing to her a song of admiration._

_*Her sitting in a field of flowers, stroking his hair while his head rested in her lap, as he recited poetry in French._

She clutched the ring to her chest.

_*Bonnie wrapping her arms around his waist as she stood behind him, head resting between his shoulder blades as she cried and blubbered apologies._

_*The two of them standing on a porch, him in pajama bottoms, her wrapped in a sheet, holding hands, watching a violent storm._

It all came back.

Every memory of every moment she had shared with him for two hundred fifty seven days.

She loved him.

Bonnie Bennett was in love with Damon Salvatore.


	6. Zelphania

**Zelphania (or the Tale of Eros & Psyche)**

It's believed that the Gods, when they left this Earth, were sent to paradises created just for them. A place that thanked them for all that they'd done for the mortals, where all of their needs and desires would be met. This place was called Zelphania.

As the world grew more hateful and dangerous, they took their leave, wiping their hands of the messes humans had created. Every God received their own personalized section of Heaven, married couples and their children together.

This realm is seen differently through each set of eyes, depending on what the seer wants. Imaginations run true for those who believe, where one can find a new destination, friends, family and other loved ones. Occasional trips to Earth are possible as well, if one can see it and needs it.

Yet it's believed that during the fourteenth century, the conditions in the earthly realm became too dire and the Gods were once again sent to help the mortals get their affairs in order. Returning to their personal heavens would not an easy feat, and for each group of Gods to return to their respective realm, three sacrifices needed to be made of three supernatural beings.

When these Gods had met their duties upon their returned trip to earth, they were told to find their way to Mount Olympus. If they could not get their affairs in order within a year of time, the portal to Zelphania would close, opening again once per century for just one year, for those who could not finish their tasks in time.

Persephone, happened upon Psyche on her way back to Mount Olympus and spun a tale full of lies and deceit. Having never forgiven Aphrodite for trying to permanently take her surrogate son Adonis away from her, she sought her vengeance.

She knew that Psyche and Aphrodite had once quarreled, with the latter having once set Eros out to curse his now wife, into falling in love with the ugliest being in existence because at the time, she had been envious of the woman's looks that rivaled her own.

Persephone knew that Aphrodite loved her son more than anything, in all existence, and that he loved his mortal turned Goddess of a wife just as much, inspired her to tell Psyche a lie like no other. She told the woman that Eros had run into trouble on the far side of the Earth and watched the woman run off to look for him.

When Eros however arrived to Mount Olympus, Persephone told him that his wife had fallen in love with a mortal and had chosen to live out the man's life on Earth with him. Distraught Eros left the mountain, after telling his mother that he would spend all of eternity searching for Psyche, as he could not imagine living without her.

After a years' time, the gates to Zelphania closed, with every God except Eros and Psyche back where they belonged.

Because the pair were separated and left on earth, they were reverted to mere mortals, each living out a human life. Upon death, they were again reincarnated to unconsciously seek one another, so that they could live their mortal lives together. Yet each time one died, they would be taken further and further away from one another, either being placed in different locations or the years between their reincarnations too great.

Doomed were they to spend many lifetimes searching for something that was missing within, not knowing that it was one another.

The only beings who are ever able to see Eros and Psyche in their true forms are Seers. By mere touch, they can identify the Gods or a human whose descendants may bare one of the Gods, in the future (however never knowing whether it may be tens to hundreds of years down the line).

It is believed that their love story will play out as it had the first time, with mistrust and deceit, yet passion and unwavering love.

However for the pair to return to Zelphania, another sacrifice must again be made, during the time when the gates are yet again opened.

When the Gods first returned to Earth, from Zelphania, they were occasionally distraught with pain while away from their mate. The pain was their bodies discomfort with being away from their realm, where their souls had stayed behind, with one another. Philosophers believe that if Eros and Psyche's human bodies are near one another for too long a period, without seeking one another's love, they may experience this pain, as well.

The longer the two spend unknowingly around the other without this love, the deeper their pain will be felt.

It is believed that their daughter Hedone was forever lost, once the young girl's parents did not return to her.

* * *

I'm in love with Damon Salvatore, was Bonnie's thought as she pulled herself to her feet.

She had slowly but surely fallen in love with him, while they were lost in their own personal paradise. A romantic, generous and considerate Damon who had been slowly showing himself to her over the past weeks.

Now some of the things LeAnn had claimed were making sense.

Bonnie quickly threw on some clothes and once dressed left her room and quietly made her way down the stairs. She had to get out of the house without seeing Damon but her request was denied when the vampire flashed around her, stopping to casually lean against the front door.

"Where are you sneaking off to after disappearing for three days?"

Her head shook. "I just need to see Caroline."

Damon tilted his head and his eyes raked over her body. "You just got back here an hour ago, after driving me bat shit insane for days and now you're leaving at stupid o'clock in the morning?"

Knowing him as well as she did now, she saw the worry etched in the corner of his eyes. His hand reached for her and when he cupped her face, she leaned into his touch, letting out a sigh, having not known until now how much she yearned for his touch.

"What is going on with you Little Bird?"

And before she could control herself, she blurted, "I love you."

Damon immediately let her go and took several steps back. The look on his face let her know that he had not expected that admittance from her at all.

Bonnie snatched up her keys from the table. "I love you, Damon the Man with the Best Luck Salvatore, more than you'll ever know."

Without another word, she turned and headed out the door.

* * *

Elena woke in her soft bed knowing that if she weren't a vampire, she would probably be experiencing the worst hangover ever. She snuggled into her blanket and pillow even more, the satin feeling amazing against her skin and the fabric softener giving it the smell of home. It was the same detergent and fabric softener her mother had used for as long as she could remember and the scent always reminded her of her childhood.

Remembering the body that should be in bed along with her, Elena rolled over to her other side, expecting to find Enzo but instead there rested a note on the pillow.

She sat up, plucked up the piece of paper and unfolded it.

_**Elena,**_

_**It's been a blast but I've grown bored with the states so I'm heading overseas for a spell. Thanks for the good time and maybe I'll check in with you on occasion.**_

_**Lorenzo**_

The vampire crumpled the note in her hand before she threw it across the room and into the wastebasket, wishing she had Bonnie's powers and could set it on fire. Flinging the blanket and sheets off, she quickly pulled on her pajamas before making her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

There she found Matt, picking up plastic cups that littered the counters and dumping bowls of chips and salsa that had sat out overnight.

"Hey," he greeted. "You just missed Enzo."

The brunette scoffed. "Trust me, I didn't miss anything."

She began to help him and the pair worked together tidying the kitchen in a comfortable silence. They soon moved to the living room and upon glancing out the window, Elena noticed Bonnie's car in front of the house.

She stood to her full height, dropped a beer bottle into the garbage bag and asked. "When did Bonnie get here?"

Matt looked out to Bonnie's car as well. "Around five o'clock. I'm surprised you didn't hear her come in, she was crying and blubbering so loud."

"Crying about what?" Elena asked worried.

He shrugged. "I don't know but the good news is, she's back again."

Elena dropped the bag in her hand, now completely confused. "Back from here?"

The human made the facial equivalent of smacking himself on the forehead. "So, apparently she went missing a few days ago in New Orleans." When he saw the look of outrage on her face, he added. "Stefan and Damon swore me not to mention anything because you and Caroline would freak out appropriately but…"

She didn't get to hear the rest because she was racing up the stairs and to Caroline's room.

Her hand went to the doorknob and before she could turn it, it was opening. Caroline stood in her pajamas looking extremely tired and gave her a tiny smile. "Let's keep it down, I don't want to wake her."

Caroline stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

"Did you know she was missing for three days and Damon and Stefan decided not to tell us?" Elena asked so upset with the brothers she was almost willing to drive to Mystic Falls, at this moment, to scold them.

The blond nodded. "She just told me when she got here." She placed an arm across Elena's lower back and walked them into the doppelganger's bedroom. "She also told me that she remembers what happened while her and Damon were away."

Elena couldn't stop her mouth from falling open. "Oh my God." She paced the room before turning back to her friend. "What does she remember?"

Caroline shrugged. "It was all super weird, everything she said. She mentioned her and Damon were together in some kind of magical house with a magical backyard and some other magical crazy talk." She shook her head. "It all sounded really strange though. But not like' oh, that's a hoot' strange and more so like 'I wonder if Bonnie's on drugs' strange."

Across the room, Elena's phone buzzed to life and as she made her way to it, she reminded the other vampire, "But we both know Bonnie wouldn't do drugs."

She picked up her phone and seeing that it was Damon, answered. "Hey, did you know Bonnie was coming here?"

He let out a deep breath on his end. "Thank God she's there. She showed up in the foyer at the boarding house, flipped out, took a shower, said she loved me and left."

Elena swore she hadn't heard him correctly and asked, "She told you what?"

Damon snorted. "She said she loves me."

"Damon, now is not the time to play one of your games—"

"I'm not joking Elena," he interrupted. "She was… I don't know, it was kind of like she was in shock. I was talking to her and she just wasn't responding. We were in New Orleans at Klaus' house, she vanished in thin air and three days later she just showed up acting stranger than normal."

Not wanting to believe him but hearing the sincerity in his voice, she had no other choice. "She told Caroline that her memories came back and that she remembers what happened while you two were gone."

"Hmm," was all he offered.

"What should we do?"

He sighed. "Stefan's flight from New Orleans gets in this afternoon and as much as I hate to admit it, they're pretty close. She seems to like him best and trusts him, so we'll let him talk to her."

Elena looked to the ceiling. "What is going on with you three nowadays?"

Damon laughed. "I wish I knew."

* * *

"So wait, Bonnie's here," Jeremy asked as he looked around the room at his sister, Caroline, Matt and Tyler.

Tyler shrugged. "So what's the problem? You guys have been trying to get her out here for ages. Now she's out here and you're worried?"

"When she's talking about being in love with Damon Salvatore, which no one should ever admit to," Caroline began, before throwing Elena an apologetic look. "Then yes, we should worry."

Matt shrugged from his seat in his favorite chair, in the living room. "I don't see a problem with that. In fact… I'm pretty positive Damon's in love with her too."

"What?" the youngest of the group asked, not trying to hide the disgust in his voice. "Damon isn't in love with anyone but himself, so there's no possible way he loves Bonnie."

His sister frowned. "I mean, I can see it." She ran her fingers through her hair. "As much as it'd hurt to see the two of them together, it's not that far-fetched. He's always kind of loved her, I just never really saw it turning into love, love."

Caroline smiled as she looked around the room at her friends. "Call me crazy but I kind of sensed some kind of bond between them when they came home." She paced the length of the room as she spoke enthusiastically. "I mean she just acted so squirrely whenever she was away from him too long."

"And he did throw her that bitchin party just to cheer her up," Tyler added. "Plus he seemed super shitty when Stefan was getting fresh with her—"

"Wait," Jeremy interrupted. "Stefan is into her now too? Can those two not share a girl?" It was now his turn to give his sister an apologetic smile. "What is wrong with them?"

The blond vampire laughed. "Stefan isn't so much into her and might be more so into making Damon jealous enough, that he'll realize his feelings for her."

Jeremy frowned as he stood to his feet. "Bonnie would never be interested in him. He turned her mom into a vampire, was part of the reason her Grams died and let's not forget he actually tried to kill her once."

At this Matt shrugged. "She died bringing you back to life while Damon actually brought her back from death. So I mean, that should account for something."

"Or you all can just accept the fact that she knows she's in love with him, for whatever reason and just be supportive of her wishes." This came from Tyler.

Elena sat next to Tyler on the couch. "I saw it when they came back, that first night. I wasn't sure of exactly what was or had transpired between them but I knew something had and it made me act stupidly towards her." She shook her head. "And I don't want to be that friend. So if she says she loves Damon then," Elena shrugged with tears in her eyes, "then she loves him."

Not believing the words his sister had just spoken, Jeremy walked out the front door and stepped onto the porch. He leaned against the rail watching as some college students biked down the street.

This wasn't how his freshman year of college was supposed to play out, at all.

He and Bonnie should have been sharing the attic bedroom, sitting at their desks studying late into the night, before falling into bed and on top of one another. He should have taken her to his first frat party, feeling a sense of pride as the jocks stared at his beautiful girlfriend.

They'd spent many days talking about living on campus together and making plans for their future for after college.

Instead of staying in bed with Casey, he should have headed home with Elena, Tyler and Caroline. He couldn't imagine how Bonnie must have felt expecting to see him for the first time in months, after dying, only to have him not even show up.

When he'd gone to see her, still shocked that she was staying with Damon, he'd hoped they could talk things over and go back to the way they were. Yet she had told him no, they could never go back to how they were before because she was no longer the same person.

He had been beyond pissed when he found out that Damon was throwing her a party and that he was not invited.

Now he stood on the porch, wondering how she could find herself in love with such a monster.

He heard the front door open and looked over his shoulder to see Tyler approaching him.

"How're you doing man?" the almost werewolf asked.

Jeremy frowned. "How do you think I'm doing? My ex-girlfriend is in love with a psychopath."

Tyler laughed. "I wonder if that's similar to your psychopath sire being in love with your ex-girlfriend." He plopped down on the porch swing. "I know it sucks but… when you truly love someone, you'll be happy as long as they're happy, even if it hurts. Especially if it hurts."

"I don't know. It just feels like she's so lost and maybe he's taking advantage of the situation."

His friend shrugged. "Last time I saw her, she seemed to be doing better—"

"And then, in Damon's own words, she flipped out talking nonsense, before disappearing for three days, only to return and claim that she loves him," Jeremy interrupted. "She just doesn't seem like Bonnie anymore."

Tyler stood. "Look, I don't know what to tell you." He sighed. "Of courses she's not going to be the same Bonnie, she's died multiple times. She was gone from existence for over a full year collectively. Who would be the same after that?"

Jeremy stared at his friend. "I've died too and I'm the same."

"You're not her!" he exclaimed. "You won't ever understand what she has been through because you are not and will not ever be her. And if you only want to get back with her because you think you can bring back the old Bonnie, then don't waste either of your time."

* * *

Matt gently rapped his knuckles against the door. He listened closely and barely heard the muffled reply for him to enter.

He opened the door and took in the bright room, sunlight filtering in through the curtains as they billowed in the wind. He saw a witch sized lump of blanket, in the center of Caroline's bed, a toned brown leg and blond hair poking out at different ends.

He smiled as he made his way to the bed before he flopped down beside his childhood friend. A firm hand sought out her shoulder through the downy duvet and he gingerly shook her.

"If you've come up here to ask me about Damon then you can stop now." The bundle mumbled. "I heard you guys down there and you all think I'm crazy."

Matt could hear the tears in her voice and couldn't resist from pulling the blanket from over her head. The sight before him broke his heart. Her hair was a mess, her eyes and nose wet and red. Her mouth closed firm, trying to hold back a possible hiccup or sob, which he occasionally saw from the sudden sharp rise of her chest.

His hands wiped at her face, before he pulled her to his chest. "Jesus Bonnie, what's going on with you?"

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm not sure." She met his eyes. "I've felt like something was wrong since the moment I came back and now that I know…" She sobbed. "Now that I remember what he and I had and not being able to have that with him now… it hurts so bad Matt."

"I wish I knew what to tell you right now," he admitted. He had a feeling, deep in his gut that Damon felt the same way about her but he couldn't tell her this, only to get her hopes up and end up wrong. "But I guess there's a reason you two fell in love where ever you were. And if you could fall in love there, then what's to stop you from falling in love here?"

She frowned. "Everything is so different here though."

Matt scoffed. "You know, for a girl who never gives up on helping her friends find and obtain happiness, you're very quick to give up on yourself."

"Doesn't matter. As soon as I told Damon that I loved him he pretty much pushed me away."

"That's some big news to spring on someone," he admitted. "Plus, we all know Damon Salvatore isn't the most in touched with his feelings."

Bonnie buried herself back beneath the blanket. "And I'm sure Elena isn't too happy about this new development."

He shrugged. "She actually took it much better than expected." He pulled the blanket from over her head again. "You really underestimate how much you mean to us. The only one really upset is Jeremy."

They both looked up when they heard a knock on the door. There standing in the doorway was Damon, looking as calm and cool as ever, despite the fact that he had to have driven like a bat out of hell to have arrived to town so soon.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Nope." Matt stood to his feet and walked to the door. "In fact, you can take my spot. You seem to be pretty good at cheering her up nowadays."

When Matt stepped out the door and Damon made his way in, Bonnie again tried to burrow into the bed. Yet Damon, being Damon, grabbed the covers and threw them off her, before stretching down the length of the bed, ankles crossed and hands behind his head.

"What's going on with you witch?"

She pulled a pillow close to her chest, curled her body around it and buried her head into it. "You don't remember yet, do you?"

He frowned. "Remember what?"

"Our time together, over there," she whispered.

Damon continued to stare at the ceiling. "Can't say that I do. Or that I remember being anywhere." He looked at her. "Is that what happened while you were gone those three days? You somehow found a way to remember?"

Bonnie now looked at him. "I fell in love with you while we were there." She wiped at her face. "It was beautiful, where we were."

"I'm sure it was," he replied.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

He smirked. "I mean I know it's impossible not to fall in love with someone as charming as myself but…" he sat up. "That's not your m.o. Girls like you don't fall in love with monsters like me."

She smiled as she sat up. "You said that the first time I told you that I loved you."

"Then apparently I still had my wits about me, where ever we were." Damon let out a deep breath. "Look Bonnie, I'm not going to deny that there's been some kind of connection going on here," he pointed back and forth between them, "since we've been back but… Well, love is a strong word. At least in the sense that you're using it. Yes I love you as a friend but I'm not sure if it's any more than that."

Bonnie felt the exact moment when her heart broke. She wanted to bury herself in the blanket again, except now it was across the room, so she had to face him head on.

She could see the pity in his eyes as he studied her face, which he gently cupped it in his hands. "I'm genuinely so very sorry you're having such a hard time adjusting to being back—"

"But you're not?" she interrupted.

Damon let go of her and stood to his feet. "I don't know. I know I don't feel right but I'm doing considerably better than you at the moment." When he saw her pout, he asked, "What can I do to help you?"

Feeling completely numb, she confessed, "Nothing. I just need Stefan right now."

* * *

As he drove, with Bonnie curled up in the passenger seat, Damon tried to get his thoughts in order.

She was in love with him.

Yes he'd been trying to decipher his feelings for her since they'd returned but he wasn't sure if he'd call it love. Or at least not love in the sense that she was speaking of. Sure he worried about her constantly and of course he had gotten a little jealous seeing her so comfortable with his brother and Marcel but who didn't envy a man with a gorgeous woman on his arm?

He'd admit that he felt out of sorts when she wasn't near but he just chalked that up to the fact that girl had tendency for secret dying, on a regular basis. And it was natural to worry about a friend. A friend that he had been finding himself more attracted to by the day but again, lust and attraction weren't necessarily indications of love.

While she was saying goodbye to her friends he'd called Stefan and filled him in on Bonnie's latest tales of wackiness, with his brother promising to be at the boarding house when they arrived.

His only hope was that they could find out what was going on in her head before she completely lost herself.


	7. Hedonism

**Hedonism (or Stefan the Bamon Fanboy)**

Aphrodite and Ares decided once Eros was a few years old, that having another child would be great, in order to give their son a playmate because the boy seemed to have so much love to give.

When Anteros was born, Eros was overjoyed to have a younger brother whom he could teach the ways of the world to. The pair were inseparable for years and when Eros grew to be the deity of lust and love, it was only fitting that Anteros became the deity of requited love.

The duo worked together, spreading love and joy to whoever sought it, enjoying the sights and one another's company.

While in Zelphania the brothers often visited one another, along with their families, feasting in different locales and taking day trips to places the two had only imagined in their dreams, as children. Once they'd returned to earth along with the other deities, they again set to work, trying to show the mortals the pleasures of requited love and romance.

The pair had trekked back to Mount Olympus, ready to return to their respective realms, when they had come across Persephone, their mother's friend yet occasional foe. She told the two of Psyche's change of heart in regards to her husband, how she, upon being separated from him for such a period of time, had realized her mistake in giving up her mortal life and had found love with a human.

Acting irrationally as he was often known to do, Eros had begun to head back down the mountain, Anteros following closely behind.

Eros turned to his brother, "Do not follow me brother, for I do not know how long this quest will take and would not want to keep you from your family."

"Yet, if you are to you go on without me and find Psyche in love with another, then you may fall victim to unrequited love and as your brother, I cannot allow such a thing," Anteros argued as he grabbed Eros' shoulder.

He pulled away. "That is my risk to take but I will not have the guilt of keeping you away from your loving family just to help me with my marital strife."

Anteros nodded. "Then God speed brother and I shall see you and Psyche upon your return." Before Eros could ask, he added. "I shall look after Hedone as though she were my own, until you return."

Eros grabbed his brother's face and kissed his forehead, before he was again on his way.

Yet upon his return to Zelphania, Anteros was not allowed entrance to Eros' realm and he feared that the girl he promised to protect and raise along with his own children was forever lost to them all, as were her parents.

When Persephone's deception was shown to the deities, Aphrodite was outraged as she should be. And as centuries passed, her spirits continued to decline causing Anteros to embody different mortals who grew close to the reincarnations of his brother from time to time.

He saw a plan, between a quartet of supernatural woman, taking place. A group of women who knew that a particular mortal was the reincarnated vessel containing his brother and wanted to ensure he would find his way to Psyche.

Such a trying relationship these two brothers had. Anteros was only granted possession of this beings body for a year every few decades and every time he returned he had to mend the rift that they had allowed to take ahold of them.

But he knew that this body was just the right one to help him in his quest of reuniting Eros with Psyche.

And finally after many journeys possessing this vampire's body, he'd had his opportunity to bring them back. The other side was falling and with the many deaths happening, the sacrifice had unknowingly been made and this Eros and Psyche had been brought back to Zelphania.

Yet these two hadn't been in love when they had arrived. And because they were not the Eros and Psyche, he and the other Gods had known, they were not allowed to visit them. He and the rest of the deities had hoped and watched as the pair had gradually allowed the love they had within them to consume their hearts.

Coincidently, these two had many people on earth who cared about them, who decided to meddle with nature and brought the duo back, slowly ripping apart their realm. Aphrodite begged Zeus to rebuild their world for them and he had allowed Anteros to return, to try his best to get them back once and for all. And he was determined not to ruin his last shot.

The others told him to give up and let the two live out the rest of eternity on Earth, yet Anteros could not give up on his brother and his wife. Even though he wouldn't be allowed to visit them and no they were not the same, they still deserved the world they'd worked hard for previously.

So yes, Stefan Salvatore was the perfect vessel.

* * *

While Stefan had been bumming around New Orleans, he'd awaken one morning to an avalanche of feelings. He should have stayed in Mystic Falls. He should have tried to help bring Bonnie and Damon back. He shouldn't have turned away from his friends.

Confused, he finally realized that somehow, some way, his emotions had turned back on. In fact, he felt out of sorts for the rest of the day. So he stayed inside the small apartment in the French Quarter, tidying the place up and trying to call his friends, who didn't answer the unknown number.

There was no way for him to be proud of the things he'd done which was treating the world as an all you can drink buffet.

Pale skinned and freckled girls in Ireland, who giggled and blushed as he kissed their necks. The girls of Africa, who shouted their ecstasy in their native tongue as he brought them to orgasm and drank his fill. Bronze Grecian goddesses who played hard to get, until they spent a night with him and then played hard to get rid of.

With his feelings intact, he did feel bad for his actions but deep down, he had still enjoyed every moment. After the place was tidy and his thoughts were in order, he knew it was time to pack up and head home.

He'd ran into Lucy two weeks prior and she'd been excited to see him, bubbling over with news about his brother and Bonnie being back, yet at the time, he hadn't cared. He made a mental note to call and apologize to her once he was back in Mystic Falls.

Arriving at home, he'd been surprised to see everyone's cars in the driveway and equally surprised to walk into the empty home. He'd wondered through the halls until he picked up all the familiar voices in the backyard, giddy and full of joy. When he stepped out into the yard and made his presence known, he had expected their looks of shock but he definitely hadn't anticipated the looks of admiration his brother had been sending in the witch's direction beforehand.

As he hugged Elena and then Caroline, whom he'd thought about constantly since his emotions had come flooding back, he continued to glance at Damon.

Stefan liked to imagine that despite their differences and years apart, he knew his brother well. He recalled only seeing this look on Damon's face when he had looked at one woman and one woman only and her name had been Mariam. The innocence and admiration in his eyes, gentle upturn in the corners of his mouth and a faint flush in his cheeks and behind his ears.

Naturally Stefan had to test this theory, so he greeted Bonnie a little warmer than he usually would have. He acted oh so casual about having her on his lap and as everyone continued their feast, he'd studied Damon like a freshmen cramming for a final.

When Damon asked to speak with him, he waited until the topic of Bonnie was brought up and when Damon hadn't brought her up, he took the initiative, asked about his interest in the girl and watched as his brother flat out lied.

So from that point on, Stefan decided that it was his duty to help his brother realize his feelings and he knew that the best way to do that, was to pretend he himself was interested in Bonnie. Maybe he flirted with her a bit much and yes, he helped her dress and act in ways that would be overly tempting for any man. He made sure her dresses and skirts were short, her breasts on display and her skin shone.

And Damon was noticing.

And his stupid stupid brother was going to fuck everything up with his pride and stubbornness.

Now he sat in the parlor, waiting for Bonnie and Damon to return from Whitmore.

The sound of Damon's mustang pulling up to the house filled his ears. He heard the car's doors open and close, the crunch of gravel underfoot and finally the front door creaked and slammed.

Bonnie appeared in the doorway and smiled at him. It was such a miserable and forced smile that he quickly climbed to his feet, crossed the room and hugged her. They both ignored Damon and he ushered her upstairs and into her room.

He sat on her bed and watched as she took a seat at the antique desk.

"So, you think you're in love with my brother?"

"Sounds like the title of a self-help book," she tried to joke but upon seeing his serious expression she nodded. "And I know I'm in love with him… but there's no use in discussing it because I told him how I felt and he said he only loves me as a friend."

This news caused one of his eyebrows to shoot into his hairline. "That's what he told you?"

She grimaced. "Yup and I got my memories back, about what happened while we were… away."

"What happened while you guys were away?" he asked leaning forward and giving her his full attention.

Yet the young woman stood and made her way to the closet. "Look, I've talked about this with everyone a million times already and I'm just done with crying for the day." Her fingers skimmed over the hangers of dresses before she pulled one out and looked it over. "I need to get out of this house."

Stefan climbed to his feet, grabbed a different dress and handed it to her, as he asked, "For the night or are you planning on moving out?"

"For now, it's just for the night but I'll probably move into my Grams' house within the next couple days, take it off the market." Her eyes met his as she rehung the dress she had picked. "I can't stay in this house with him, watching him bring home girls and just being… so him."

He understood exactly what she was going through, having to watch his brother and ex-girlfriend fall in love. "Do you want to give up this easily though?"

Bonnie shrugged. "No and I don't plan to but I'm just trying to make me feel better for right now."

"And you want me to help again?"

"Exactly."

Stefan made his way to her line of shoes before he picked up pair of heels that would look amazing with the dress still in her hand.

"Well, I think I know just the place."

* * *

When Stefan had first started taking Bonnie out, the girl had internally struggled to let go and free herself from her inhibitions. Now, she acted more like a professional party girl. She didn't need Stefan's compulsion skills to get her drinks as she chatted up the men, who soaked in her body in the flattering dress.

Stefan sat alone in a corner booth, silently observing the confident witch. He paid attention to the men who he believed were watching her too intently. Twice she was grabbed roughly by a perspective suitor and both times the men had suffered a shock like none other, when they suffered a pain similar to being tazed.

A little after one, he watched her slip into the lady's room and when she stepped out five minutes later, she looked a little disheveled but when she grabbed hold of very lucky man and began to dance with him, Stefan shook his bad feeling.

That is until he saw the man unabashedly start to grope her breasts and ass and Bonnie only threw her head back and her arms in the air, smiling wickedly.

Immediately he was on his feet and across the room. He grabbed the petite woman by the shoulder, turned her to face him and as soon as he met her dilated eyes he frowned.

"Bonnie, what'd you take?"

She shrugged. "I told the girl in the bathroom I wanted to forget my worries, so she gave me a cute little pink pill with a cat on it." She giggled before she mewed at him and turned back to her dancing partner.

The man held her around her waist as he pulled her far too close to him, in public and the two began to grind against one another, as his fingers traced up her inner thighs.

Stefan grabbed Bonnie's hand. "Come on, let's head home."

"Do we have to?"

Her dancing partner grabbed her by the chin, so that their eyes met. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do baby."

"No," Stefan said gently tugging on her hand. "We need to go, now."

The blond haired man she had been dancing with slid between Stefan and Bonnie. "Look man, the girl wants to stay here with me."

As calmly as he could, Stefan met the man's eyes and growled. "Get the fuck out of here, before I rip out your throat."

And like that, the man was making his way across the dance floor, towards the door

.

Stefan grabbed Bonnie's hand and began to walk them towards the door.

"Where are we going?" she asked, words as sloppy as her walk to his car.

"Back home."

She waited as he opened her door for her. He made sure she was seated and buckled in, before he stepped around the vehicle and slid behind the driver seat. The engine purred to life and he quickly peeled out of the parking lot.

He wanted to contain his anger with her but really couldn't. "Drugs, Bonnie? Really?"

She scoffed. "You're constantly telling me to live and that's all I wanted… and to forget about him." Her eyes grew wide. "Do you think he'll be home?"

"Of course he'll be home." Stefan answered.

"Do you know I love him?" she asked.

"I know," he frowned.

She turned in the seat so that she could face him, her back resting against the door. "He loved me too."

Stefan nodded. "He still does."

Bonnie shook her head as she waved her hand. "No, no, no. Not like 'let's have fun and go to the mall' love but like 'let's bang it out for the rest of life' love."

He truly wanted to be mad but she got a well-deserved chuckle from him. Liking the unfiltered Bonnie, he decided to humor her. "Did you guys get a chance to 'bang it out', while you were over there?"

"Just once," she confessed with a pout as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It was a little bit after he gave me his day ring."

Stefan chuckled. "The one you just made him?"

"The one your mom gave him before she passed away," she stated so matter-of-factly he had to look over to her. "You still don't believe me."

He wanted to not believe her because he knew she was under the influence of some kind of drug, yet for her to know this fact was unnerving. He occasionally stole glances at her as she rooted around under the seat.

She sat up, when she had her clutch in hand. Her fingers undid the clasp of the handbag and she reached inside and pulled out what looked to be his Damon's ring, which the man claimed to have lost.

"How did you get that?" he asked flabbergasted.

"He gave it to me!" she exclaimed.

Stefan grabbed the ring and studied it and sure enough, it was his brother's. "When?"

"When we were over there. Why aren't you listening to me?"

He really didn't want to believe that Bonnie, in her state of depression, instability and unrequited love hadn't taken the ring and come up with this crazy story. He turned the ring with his fingers as he continued down the road, headed home.

"So, he just let you have it?"

Bonnie shrugged as she took it back. "Yes. He told me about it having been your uncle's." His brow furrowed and he couldn't help but think his brother had to have given it to her. "And he told me about when you tackled him playing football and dislocated his shoulder when he was sixteen and he told me about Lilian and Mariam—"

"Whoa, whoa whoa…" he interrupted, looking to the intoxicated and drugged witch. "He told you about Mariam?"

She nodded as she bit her lip. "Yup." Her fingers found the hem of her dress. "These seats are soooo soft."

He watched her slowly raise the skirt of her dress and when he looked back to the road he had to yank the steering wheel to pull the car back into its lane. "What are you doing?"

Bonnie wiggled her bottom against the seat. "It's so soft, Stefan."

"Back to this Mariam thing," he started, letting down his windows.

"What are these seats made of?"

The scent of her arousal was filling the air and he needed to get it out of the vehicle before he pulled over and fucked her into the seat while draining her dry.

"Leather," was his one word response.

"Are you sure?" he watched her slide down the seat.

"Hey Bennett, focus."

She pulled herself up, so that she was properly seated. "Are you sure this isn't the skin of people you've rippered in the past?"

Stefan pulled into the driveway, in front of his home. He looked to Bonnie, who was again squirming on the seat.

"Do you trust me?" he asked the pretty girl.

She smiled as her fingers stroked the leather of the seat, which was between her thighs. "With my life," she murmured, head falling back against the headrest.

He smirked. "And you love my brother?"

"With my life."

Stefan nodded. "Well, let me apologize beforehand for what I'm about to do."

Bonnie giggled. "You're very much forgiven."

* * *

Damon was used to Stefan and Bonnie not returning home until the early hours of the morning, so when he heard Stefan's car turn up the driveway at a quarter after two, he was a bit concerned. He would have never brought this chick back to the boarding house if he'd known the pair would return from their adventures so soon.

He pulled away from the half dressed woman beneath him and listened as his brother and Bonnie stumbled through the door downstairs. Immediately he was struck by the scent of Bonnie. Too much of Bonnie's aroma filled the air, her flushed skin and her arousal overpowering.

"I'll be right back," he told the nameless woman, as he climbed out of bed.

As he made his way down the stairs, he rebuttoned and zipped his jeans. He debated turning back for a shirt, so as not to tempt the witch with his delicious body, when he turned into the parlor and stopped in his tracks.

There was Bonnie, sprawled on her back across a couch, dress hiked up to her waist and Stefan nestled between her legs, kissing up a thigh. Her head was thrown back as one of her hands played with her locks, the other groped at a breast.

A heat tore through his belly, a pain that started at his navel and ripped its way up to his chest, as he watched Stefan lazily kiss from her knee up to her pectineus muscle. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his murderous heart and the rage within him that wanted to rip his brother's lips off his face.

Damon cleared his throat and Stefan looked over to him with a Cheshire grin.

"Hey," he greeted, resting a hand on Bonnie's knee.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Stefan smiled. "Have you ever tasted a witch's blood—"

He interrupted with, "Of course and I've tasted that witch's blood," he growled before adding, "first."

Damon watched as his brother's face transformed, "Not from the femoral artery while she was drunk and high on ecstasy." His hand slid up her thigh, towards the scrap of lace that passed as panties. "Or while she was so close to orgasm."

Before he could get his thoughts in check, Damon had Stefan pinned against a wall, a hand circling his throat, while the other held the fire poker he'd grabbed from near the fireplace, in the same motion.

"She is not yours," Damon stated.

Stefan tried to laugh. "Then who does she belong to?"

He let his brother go, realizing the game he had been playing and seeing that he'd fallen right into the trap. "Me," he admitted as he looked to the witch, who now was slowly trying to sit up. "She's mine."

The hazel eyed vampire smiled and nodded, before he clapped Damon on the shoulder. "Then I'll leave you to it." He took a few steps away. "And you should probably get rid of your lady guest soon."

Damon watched Stefan leave and heard the front door shut. The witch stood to her feet and slowly made her way towards him. Her hands slid down her sides, pulling the dress down with them as she sauntered over to him.

"Hey," she greeted as she gently pressed him against the wall, he'd just held his brother against.

He could very much have moved her aside but damn if she didn't look sexy in her nude sheath dress, overlaid in black lace, blond hair slicked back, mascara and eyeliner perfectly applied and lips fire engine red.

For weeks he had been fighting every feeling he had for her. The feelings of love and lust that didn't necessarily consume him but were constantly there, in his heart.

She pressed her petite frame against him, fingers making their way up his thighs and he caught them before they reached their destination.

"Don't do it," he demanded.

Those pretty eyes of hers looked into his. "But we both want me to," she pouted.

Damon didn't lie, so he nodded before stating, "Still. Just don't."

Bonnie surprised him when she took his hand in hers and pressed it against the crotch of her damp panties. "Remember the first time you touched me here?" She rubbed his hand against her. "I got my magic back and we both came so hard in the shower."

Her story was confusing, considering it had never happened as far as he knew but he really didn't want to move his hand. She helped him move the crotch of her panties aside and when he let his knuckles brush across her slit, they both shuddered.

"Can't you just fuck me into the couch and I'll suck you off until I burst a blood vessel in your dick?"

A girl truly after his own heart and if he were completely honest with himself, she'd had it for weeks now.

Damon turned them, so that she was now against the wall, his hand ripping the waste of panties from her body and he kissed her throat. Bonnie tilted her head, allowing him better access, as she spread her legs, wrapped them around his waist and began to grind against the bulge in his jeans.

His hands found the zipper at her side and he was pulling it apart when he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

Damon and Bonnie's eyes went to the entrance of the room.

The blond looked to the pair wrapped in one another's embrace, as she asked, "So, are you done with me for the night?" she asked. "Was I just an appetizer?"

Bonnie raised a hand and flicked a wrist, sending the woman across the room and to her knees.

Damon released the witch and made his way to the woman. "You can't treat humans like that," he reminded her. He helped the woman to her feet, looked her in the eyes and stated. "You got lost on your way home, you were never here and none of this happened."

She nodded before heading out the door.

Damon heard Bonnie skip up behind him, her arms wrapped around his hips and she grabbed his member confidently and gingerly.

"Are we still going to… you know?"

He side stepped her hold before turning to face her with a sigh. "Not tonight." He ran a hand through her hair. "You're ridiculously fucked up and I want you to remember everything."

"Every second?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "Every inch." The witch's cheeks flushed and she bounced on her toes making him laugh. "You hungry?" She nodded. "I'll make you something to eat while you shower and get that intoxicating scent off you."

She grinned. "Can you make me that ravioli I like? With that garlicky pesto sauce."

Damon's eyebrows creased, considering he'd never made it for her. "Sure, anything you want Little Bird."


	8. A Greedy Vampire

**A Greedy Vampire (or the Greenhouse Effect)**

Sunlight filtered through the lace curtains as the sun made a lazy ascend into the sky, waking the sleeping vampire and filling her heart and head with positive vibes.

Caroline sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head, silently proclaiming that today would be an amazing day. She swung her feet to the floor, before she left the room and crossed the hall into the bathroom to freshen up. An old boy band song that she, Elena and Bonnie used to sing while brushing their teeth, after their sleepovers, popped into her head and she hummed it enthusiastically as she studied her reflection.

A trip to the salon was definitely in order. She was overdue for a trim, her eyebrows could use some love and she frowned, was that a pimple sprouting on her cheek? But nope, those little imperfections were not going to ruin what she had already deemed an amazing day.

Back in her bedroom, she began her yoga routine, inhaling and exhaling throughout her regime. And it was when she turned from warrior one to warrior two, that she glanced out her window facing the front yard and saw a person, or more specifically a vampire watching her.

He gestured to himself, then her before he pointed to the front door and began to walk to the porch.

Caroline threw on a sweatshirt and as quickly and quietly as she could, made her way downstairs. She stepped onto the porch and glared at him.

"What are you doing here? I thought you would be just crawling into the boarding house door with Bonnie right now."

Stefan frowned. "I'd rather be here."

Her hands flew to her hips and her head did that little twirl that Bonnie had deemed too sassy for a white girl, "But Bonnie said she needed you."

She watched as he leaned against the porch railing, hands in the front pockets of his jeans, as he crossed his ankles, staring at his boots. "Well, what Bonnie actually wanted and needed was Damon and I'm thinking right about now, they should be wrapping things up and slumbering in a post coital haze."

"They didn't?" Yet Stefan smirked and her mouth fell open as she threw her head back and shrieked. "So Damon finally got his head out of his ass and admitted that he loves her?"

The hazel eyed man shrugged. "Well… not exactly."

She looked at him sideways. "But they were going at it when you left?" she thought about this. "That doesn't really sound like Bonnie."

"Well, they weren't banging it out yet—"

"Did you just say—"

"Yes I did," he interrupted before sheepishly adding, "and Bonnie may or may not have had a little bit of ecstasy—"

Caroline held her hands in front of her. "Bonnie doesn't do drugs."

He met her eyes. "Well she did last night." He must have seen the look of panic on her face because he quickly added. "And she's at home perfectly safe with Damon but that's not the reason I came here."

The blond studied him. "What's going on then?"

Stefan took a step towards her. "I wanted to ask if you'd be free to go out on a date with me this evening."

Her mouth formed a small 'o' of surprise, before she confessed, 'Well I mean… Elena just found out yesterday that one of her best friends is in love with one of her ex's. I don't know if I could put her through that again the very next day.

She watched him smirk and he couldn't help but ask, "Love, huh?"

* * *

Alaric walked into the seedy bar that rested on the outer limits of town, reminding himself to punch his friend in the face for blowing up his favorite one. As he crossed the threshold, he smiled when he saw Damon Salvatore sidled up at the bar and realized he wouldn't have to wait too long to deliver said punching.

When he slid into the stool beside his friend, he heard Damn's exaggerated and unnecessary exhale, before said vampire asked, "'If you've come to lecture me about 'apologizing for whatever I did to Bonnie' then you can save your breath. I've been getting this lecture for two damn weeks now."

"Hey, you narcissistic prick, I came here to drink and figured I might as well do so in the company of my friend."

Damon frowned and offered up a wayward, "sorry."

"But since we are on the subject…"

"No."

Realizing that he needed to change up his drinking habits when the bartender approached with his drink of choice already in hand, Alaric took a sip, before asking, "Can't friends comfort one another."

Forehead putting Stefan's to shame, Damon faced him. "And what makes you think that I need comforting?"

The older man, yet younger vampire chuckled. "I've seen you pout over a a girl before and I know that's exactly what's going on right now." He saw his friend's back stiffen, ready to get defensive, so he added, "And I figured everyone has probably taken the side of the cute girl and not believed the angry vampire for shit."

Damon finished his drink. "Long story short. Stefan got her drunk and high a couple weeks back and she tried to rape me. I being the gentleman that I am prevented it, we shared a bed, I had to leave early for concil shit, came home and she'd moved out."

"She just moved out?"

"She just moved out," Damon repeated with a flourish of his hand. "She's staying at her Grams' house and isn't speaking to anyone." He took a sip of his drink. "Including Stefan."

Alaric grabbed a handful of the peanuts, that filled the bowl on the bar. "So have you gone over to apologize?"

A scoff. "Apologize for what? Being a decent human being and not taking advantage of her? No, I haven't."

Popping a few legumes into his mouth, Alaric asked, "I'm sure if you went over there, apologized and told her how you feel about her, she'd come around."

Damon spun in his stool. "I'm sorry and how exactly do I feel about her?"

"Please don't insult my intelligence."

"Are you trying to say I love her?"

Alaric didn't let the look of disgust on the man's face deter him and if anything it helped him realize that he was right on point.

"Are you trying to say you don't?"

The blue eyed demon turned back towards the bar, swallowed the rest of his drink and looked to the ceiling. "Fuck." His head lowered to his hands and his eyes slipped over to the former teacher. "Is it that obvious?"

He clapped him on the back. "You may argue this point but you wear your emotions on your sleeve."

"Pft, I am the master of my emotions."

"You're the master of bullshit." Alaric motioned to the bartender for another round. "It's okay to openly admit you love her. No one's going to judge you."

Damon laughed. "Not that I care."

"Hhm." He thanked the bartender for their drinks. "I mean I'd feel like such an asshole if I chased after my brother's girlfriend for years and then immediately slept with her after they broke up, only to break up with said girl and later go after her best friend."

"You should." Damon agreed. "Your life sounds a mess."

Alaric greedily gulped down his drink, reached for his wallet, grabbed a few bills and slapped them on the counter. "Well as much as I usually enjoy your company, I can't deal with your idiocy tonight and will be drinking elsewhere."

"Well be gone then."

Damon didn't bother watching Alaric leave the bar, as he listened to every step the man took towards the door. Every step feeling like the slap in the face his friend had more than likely wanted to give him.

Yes, he was in love with Bonnie but it was hard to admit this to others and the girl herself, when he was still trying to accept the epiphany himself. The little witch had snuck her way into his heart with her beautiful looks, delicious smell, her sweet yet smoky voice and her optimistic (at least compared to him) outlook on life.

Occasionally he did realize that he knew weird things about the woman, that she had never in her life mentioned to him. Of course her admitting that she loved him made him feel on top of the world. The fact that she had acted so brazenly that night, putting hers and his hands where ever she wanted, had stirred feelings in him he hadn't felt in a long time.

Feelings that reminded him of a girl on a plantation a long time ago. Feelings that made him want to spend rainy days in bed, holding Bonnie close to him or sip tea and coffee on a back porch like an old married couple.

Yet these feelings scared him more than anything.

These feelings reminded him of dreams he'd had of growing old while he'd still been human. Dreams of weddings, travels and eventually babies. Things that he could never have and things that he knew Bonnie would want.

And what was the point of being with someone if you couldn't make them happy for the rest of their lives.

After the girl had tried to seduce him that night, he'd gotten her to calm her libido and shower while he cooked her ravioli. When he'd made his way upstairs with the heaping and piping hot bowl, he'd found her waiting in his bed, wearing tiny pajamas and skin clean and moist.

He sat and watched her eat as she told stories of things they'd supposedly done while they'd been on their hiatus and he could only smile, wishing deep down inside, that everything she told him was fact.

When she was full, she set the bowl aside and asked to cuddle and who was he to deny her.

The next morning he'd woken to a text from Liz Forbes, asking him to meet at the site of the Grille, to discuss some council things. How badly, he wanted to tell the Sheriff to fuck off, yet instead he climbed out of bed, showered and left the house, after kissing the girl's forehead and stroking her blond tresses.

Upon his return, he'd found her completely moved out.

Damon had called Stefan, asking where the hell the witch had run off to and his brother had informed him that he was at Whitmore with Caroline doing what, Damon didn't care to listen. So he'd played the caring concerned friend role and had searched for her and found her car parked at her Grams' house. He'd knocked on the door and she didn't answer, so he figured he'd give her a call later. Except she didn't answer.

Every day he called and stopped by and every day he heard nothing from her.

Sure he felt some kind of way for her but he wasn't going to beg her to talk to him.

Yet after two weeks, he was definitely having a change of heart.

* * *

Miss Bennett sat curled up in one of the large leather chairs, reading a book about gardening.

Her Grams had always tried to get her interested in herbology but she'd never cared for herbs, as much as she did growing fruits and veggies. If only she had paid more attention to whether orgeno were a perennial or annual, she wouldn't have to spend the evening scouring this book, instead of doing… Well nothing really, considering she was voiding everyone.

Which, if she were perfectly honest with herself, she would admit she was being a brat but her pride had taken such a blow and she was more than a little embarrassed as well. She had bared her soul to Damon and basically anyone else who would listen to her on the matter, only for Damon to say he didn't feel the same way.

And it wouldn't have hurt as much as it did, if she hadn't known that he was lying through his teeth.

For her to put herself and her heart out there like that, only for him to flat out lie and reject her, hurt to her core. She'd thought going out with Stefan would help but then she'd discovered the happy letter 'X' and had promptly gone back to the boarding house and made an ass of herself, once again only to be rejected, yet again.

After two hours perusing this book, she set it aside and stretched, making a mental note to text Caroline in the morning. During her rush to leave the Salvatores home, she'd forgotten the bag that crazy mystery traveler lady had packed and with nothing or no one to keep her entertained, she wanted to look through the tome. Especially if it supposedly held answers to what had happened to her and Damon.

Pounding on the front door startled her, to the point that she fell out of her chair.

Bonnie climbed to her feet, pulled her robe tight and made her way to the door. She peered through the peephole and saw, the man of the hour, standing on the front porch.

Against her better judgment she wrenched the door open. "What are you doing here?"

Damon smirked as he leaned against the door frame. "I just came by to see if you could come out and play," he sang.

"You're drunk? Really?"

He laughed. "You said that all wrong. It's supposed to be 'you're really drunk'. And it's a statement, not a question."

She frowned, not knowing why she had gotten her hopes up, thinking he'd come by to do something good for once.

The vampire must have seen the look on the witch's face because he straightened up. "Alright alright." He took a deep breath. "I came by to see if you were okay."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You've been coming by, everyday. Don't worry, I'm not dead again, so you can sleep comfortably tonight."

"No I can't." he moaned. "I haven't been able to sleep cause I miss you." He looked into her eyes. "I need you and you can't say that you've been fairing too well."

Her fingers weaved through her hair and as much as she wanted to be mad and disagreeable, she admitted, "I haven't."

"And I keep getting those stupid brain explosions." His eyes softened. "Have you been getting stomach aches?"

She nodded. "Yeah,"

"Can I come in?"

Not wanting to make things easy for him, she shook her head. "No."

The pout on his lips almost did her in. "I've been a good boy."

She smirked. "I'm sure you haven't."

Damon laughed. "Not really." He reached for her but was stopped by that magical barrier. "Invite me in."

"My Grams would roll over in her grave if I invited you in."

"And I promise to roll you around in a bed and make you come, if you let me in."

How she wished his sight weren't so well because she knew that despite the darkness of the night, he could see her skin flush and probably smell her arousal.

"I'm not going to just let you come in and have sex with me. I need a little more than that."

Damon groaned. "So what, we can't fuck unless I tell you that I love you?" She slowly began to move the door to the closed position. "Okay, okay, okay!"

The pair stood at the door for a couple long minutes as the vampire seemed to try and gather his thoughts. "Well?" she asked.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. Leave it to Damon Salvatore to be as difficult was ever. "Here, I'll help you." She took a deep breath. "I love you Damon."

He grinned. "I know."

Bonnie did not regret slamming the door in his face.

* * *

The next morning found Damon walking throught the sleepy town, heading down Main Street before making a left onto Crypess Court.

Now sober, showered and his head clear, he knew he needed to make things right with Bonnie. After she'd slammed the door in his face, he had returned home, where he had suffered aneurysms for five minutes, shivering and convulsing on the ground. And as if that weren't enough, he hadn't been able to sleep.

And above all else, he loved Bonnie.

There was a difference between how he felt for the witch and how he now felt for Elena. With Elena everything had felt rushed and anxious. He loved her upon sight, he needed to take her from Stefan, he needed to protect her. He wanted her, everything about her and he wanted to be her everything.

With Bonnie everything was calm.

The love he felt for her had snuck up on him. It had slowly built into something more than he could explain. Starting from a mutual understanding and comradery, only to snowball into something so deep, that he honestly hadn't known what it was he had felt for her.

The peace and calm that rushed over him when she was near and feeling the need to make her smile every chance he got. Not being an ass… well at least not as much as usual.

Like a jackass, he'd gone and fallen in love with his ex-girlfriend's best friend.

Nearing Sheila's former house, he heard noises coming from the backyard. The sounds of a spade hitting the earth, fingers sifting through dirt and the earthy smell of Bonnie herself, alerted him to the fact that she was rooting around in her Grams' garden.

He cut through her neighbor's yard and gracefully hopped the fence.

As he approached her from behind, he took in her long lean legs, in those short short shorts. So short that the folds of her ass peaked from the bottom. Last night he hadn't noticed in his drunken stupor, that her hair was now back to its dark chocolate hue, which he found much more agreeable.

"Morning," he called.

Startled, she turned, facing him and upon their eyes meeting, threw her head back and mouthed something towards the sky.

"Are you thanking the Gods for my appearance this morning?"

She frowned as she headed to the glass house enclosure that was attached to the old garage. Damon sped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks, gripping her arms in his hands.

"I'm sorry."

"You said that many times last night, yet look at how that ended. Jackass." He then felt that familiar pain at his temples and quickly placed his palms to his head, subsequently letting her go. "And don't touch me."

She started to walk around him, yet stubbornly he grasped her wrist. Again, that pain was back and as she walked away, he shouted

"I love you too!"

Immediately the pain subsided. The two stared at one another for a few seconds before she turned n her heel and stomped into the greenhouse. He quickly followed.

Bonnie stood with her back to him, palms resting on the long wooden table that sat there, covered in clay pots, bags of soil, mason jars and hand tools.

"Did you hear me?" he asked. The witch didn't reply or turn to face him. "I love you Bonnie Bennett. You are by far the most beautiful, intelligent, selfless and positive being in my life. I love that you freely burn vampires, yet drive a Prius to save the environment." He stepped towards her. "I love those little wrinkles you get in your forehead when you're yelling at me. I love that you and my brother are such great friends." He stopped walking when he was a yard away from her. "I just love every fucking thing about you Bonnie Sheila Bennett."

He waited. He waited for her to turn and face him but she didn't.

Finally he closed the space between them, grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her to face him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she smiled up at him.

"You got your memories back?"

Damon shook his head. "Nope," he smiled down at her. "I just really fucking love you."

Bonnie shook her head. "And you're not just saying this—"

"To get in your pants? No," he admitted. "I don't even care if I never get to have sex with you."

She frowned. "Liar."

He laughed. "I truly don't."

"I do," she admitted before she cupped his face, rose to her toes and kissed his lips.

The witch wrapped her arms around his neck, as he snaked his around her waist, returning every single kiss she dished out. His fingers skimmed beneath her tank top, dancing over the soft tan skin of her belly.

They backed her up to the table and he swiped his arm across, knocking everything down and clearing a space to set her down upon.

Bonnie pulled away from him. He thought she was trying to slow things down yet magically the buttons on his shirt flew off, without her moving a muscle. Her fingers looped behind his belt, pulling him and his growing erection closer to her center.

She smelled too good.

She felt amazing.

And she was all his.

He unbuttoned and unzipped her denim shorts, lifted her bottom from the table just enough to slide her shorts and panties down and off her legs, before setting her back down. The woman took him by surprise because instead of clamping her thighs together in embarrassment, she spread them wider.

"What are you doing to me Little Bird?"

She shrugged. "Apparently making you fall in love with me."

Damon dropped to his haunches and rested his chin on the edge of the table, between her thighs. His hand slid up her stomach and he gently pushed her back, so that her elbows rests on the table, legs dangling on both sides of his side.

She tasted better than he had ever imagined.

The sounds that emitted from her mouth made his cock grow even harder than it had been. He wanted to take himself in hand… well no, he knew exactly where he wanted to put his dick and his hand would just be a disappointment.

One hand held her right thigh, while the other gripped her hip and slid her closer.

He'd always been called greedy and he wasn't going to stop eating until he was thoroughly filled.

Bonnie's hips rocked in a steady rhythm, fucking his face in the most glorious of ways. Sending his imagination in a tizzy, wondering how well she would ride him, in due time.

The fluttering in her lower abdomen, her gasps and the increased moisture seeping from her core let him know she was close. At this moment, he moved his mouth, easily slipped three fingers into her heat and sank his fangs into her thigh.

Her orgasmic blood easily slid down his throat.

Damon didn't give her a moment to recover and as she caught her breath, he undid his pants before sliding into her.

Amazing.

He held a firm grasp on her ass, pulling her as close as he could, sliding out of her, then pulling her close yet again. Over and over and over again. Her arms around his neck, head resting on his shoulder, giving him an earful. Letting him hear every hitch, gasp, mutter, plea and thank you that tumbled from her mouth.

Impatient fingers ripped her tank top from her body.

Sharp fangs cut the center of her bra, before he peeled it from her chest, so that his tongue, lips and teeth could nip, twirl and suckle upon her breasts. His nose nuzzled her throat, before he peppered her neck with kisses, making his way to her earlobe, which grabbed the attention of his mouth, ripping another orgasm from her.

Damon held her face in his hands, blue eyes meeting green. Their lips met, so tender and soft and he couldn't remember a time when he had been kissed so lovingly. Her hands grabbed his ass, helping him slam into her, harder, faster as she kissed his chin. His eyes wondering to the skylights, trying to find anything and everything to distract him.

He didn't want this moment to end, yet his body couldn't take anymore pleasure and when she muttered "come for me baby", he couldn't fight it and during his release, he couldn't resist getting a taste of her from the carotid artery.

The pair held one another after, Bonnie trying to catch her breath, while he didn't want to let her go just yet.

"I love you', he mouthed.

She nodded and mouthed back, 'I know'.


	9. Interruptions

**Interruptions (or Sore Throats)**

Life was good again.

Bonnie was back in the boarding house, they had amazing sex, great conversations, Stefan was happy with Caroline for some reason and Damon was sleeping much better.

But occasionally he found Bonnie doubled over in pain and he would sometimes grab his head, trying to push away the attack on his brain.

His girlfriend, yes she was his girlfriend thank you very much, recalled the bag that the strange LeAnn had given her and dug into it, pulling out a glass jar.

"She said for us to take this," she explained holding it out towards him.

Damon uncapped the jar and inhaled. "Dill, lemon thyme, devil's claw," a chuckle, "rue and my personal favorite white peony root."

Her eyebrow rose. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I've just taken a liking to them lately." He closed the lid. "They remind me of you."

Bonnie smiled a smile full of teeth and love. "I wish you had your memories back."

"Is there a reason I associate peonies to you?" the vampire asked as he plopped down onto the bed causing her to bounce a bit.

"Yeah," she bit her bottom lip. "But I don't want to ruin the surprise for you."

Damon gently tackled her onto her back. He set the herbs down on the side table as he kissed her lips, letting his fingers slid along her side, from her breasts, over her ribs and past her waist until they grasped the elastic at her hips, that barely held her comfy pajamas on her body.

"I've got a surprise for you."

"If it's your penis, it's not much of a surprise anymore," she teased.

He nestled his hips between her legs and gently thrust against her body, wanting more than anything to sink inside of her.

The petite witch took him by surprise and flipped them, so that their positions were reversed. Her thighs straddled his as she kissed along his jaw, down his shirtless torso and came to a a stop at the waistband of his jeans.

Her lips kissed his lower abdominal muscles, as her right hand worked at undoing his pants and her left slid up his belly, before finding a nipple and flicking it.

"What are you doing?" he hummed.

Bonnie giggled as she reached a tiny hand down his pants—

Just as the doorbell rang.

"Got it," she called as she gingerly sat up and climbed out of bed.

Damon jumped to his feet and quickly blocked her path. "There's no way you are leaving this room right now."

The woman gave him that look, that told him he'd lost this battle, before she stepped out of the room.

Beyond frustrated Damon stepped into the bathroom to handle his throbbing situation at hand, keeping his ear out for Bonnie and any possible dangers. When he finally came down stairs and stepped into the living room, he wasn't surprised to see Lucy, having heard her and his Little Bird chatting.

He plopped down beside his girl, draped an arm across her shoulder and nodded his greeting to Lucy. "To what do we owe this impromptu visit?"

Lucy frowned before she looked between the pair. "Please tell me you've at least cracked open that book LeAnn gave you?"

Damon felt Bonnie's flesh heat up from embarrassment. "Actually, we've been kind of… busy."

She let out a fake chuckle. "I'm assuming sex with one another is more important than saving your lives and getting back to Zelphania?"

He cocked his head to the side, studying Lucy's face to see if she were serious about this place with the obviously fake name. "Why would we want to go back to make believe land? We're happy here. In real life. The end."

Lucy stood, crossed the room and poured herself a drink, as Bonnie explained. "Damon hasn't gotten his memories back yet."

"But you have?"

Bonnie nodded. "My talisman was Damon's day ring."

The blue eyed vampire looked over the ring in question and joked, "She put a ring on it, so we're official now."

Lucy took a big gulp of bourbon from the tumbler. "Where is your talisman?" she asked with nothing but disappointment in her voice.

"Gee, I don't know. Don't you think if I had it I'd remember this 'Zamboni' place you were talking about?"

"Zelphania," she corrected.

"Where ever." He frowned. "Who cares?"

Bonnie stood and looked down at Damon. "Stop with the snark for a minute, please." He snarled at her, getting a lustful smile, before she faced Lucy. "And what's this about our lives being in danger? And how do you know LeAnn?"

The older of the cousins, made her away towards Bonnie. "I'm not really the best person to explain this, hence you two coming down to New Orleans. You were supposed to speak to LeAnn—"

Damon stood, stalked towards the taller woman, as his voice boomed, "Psycho traveler who kidnapped Bonnie and made her disappear for days? She's the person we're supposed to trust?"

Lucy held a hand out towards him and Damon found himself immobilized. "Don't ever walk towards me with that look or tone of voice, ever again."

He tried to fight the invisible force, before he finally gave up. "Fine. I'm sorry. Happy?"

"No! I'm not happy!" she exclaimed, releasing Damon from her hold and throwing her arms in the air. "You two have been so wrapped up in your 'love cocoon' that you've just forgotten about everything else. Yes I'm glad that you're in love now but we need to move on to the bigger picture."

"Which is?" Bonnie asked.

Lucy finished her drink and set the glass down on the bar. "Me and Daniel weren't supposed to bring you back—"

Damon guffawed. "So you're pissed because you fucked up and we're not overly willing to help you right your wrong?"

He watched Bonnie mutter a few words in Latin as she made a zipping motion across her lips and he would have asked her about the spell, if he hadn't grown suddenly mute.

"Why weren't you supposed to bring us back?" Bonnie asked.

Lucy shook her head. "Like I said, it's best to let LeAnn explain things. I'll only mess it up or something will get lost in translation. But I beg you two to get back down to Louisiana and speak with her. The longer you're here, the more danger you're in."

Bonnie's brows knitted. "She told me that poetry was written about our love."

"It's true." She shook her head. "Both of you pack bags. I have tickets for us to fly down tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"We can't wait much longer." Lucy picked up her jacket that rested across the back of a chair. "Airport, seven a.m., be there."

She didn't give them time to argue before she walked out the door.

Damon stood, staring at Bonnie, trying to will his lips to move or any sound to escape his mouth and failing miserably. His girlfriend approached him and pecked his lips.

"What is she going on about?" he asked.

Instead of answering Bonnie headed to the stairs, taking them two at a time and once at the landing made her way to her room, Damon at her heels. Inside she walked to the bed, fell to her knees and reached underneath, pulling out a large book.

"LeAnn told me to look this over."

* * *

The vampire stepped into the bathroom and took in the sight before him.

Bonnie sat in the tub, book resting on the floor as she draped herself over the side, sitting across the width. Beads of water slid down her warm brown skin, causing the surface to ripple from the drops, along with her movements.

Her fingers traced beneath the words in the passage, as he began to undress.

Green eyes shifted in his direction. "This book is filled with nothing but Greek mythology."

"Probably because we're sex Gods."

He moved to the tub and motioned for her to make room for him, before he sank into the steaming water, sitting the length of the tub as she settled onto his lap. He tried to circle her waist with his arms but she pulled away, still engrossed in her book.

"It mostly talks about Eros and Psyche and their story—"

"His mom was a hater, sent him to make her fall in love with a loser, he fell in love with her, yada, yada tragedy, blah blah happiness." After his brief summary he pulled her to him and began to kiss her oh so soft shoulder. "We don't need an old smelly book from an old crazy lady to teach us crap I've known for-ever. And what does that have to do with us and getting back to this land of magic that I could care less about."

The small woman turned in his arms, so that she could face him. "We loved it there. It was perfect."

She looked up to the ceiling and he watched her. The look in her eyes reminded him of how he sometimes caught her staring at him. How he occasionally looked at her.

"It just had an aura that made you only want to love yourself and each other and just… being alive." She met his eyes. "We had a garden, you'd help me harvest in the morning and we'd cook dinner together every night. And their was this magical gate in the back that would take us where ever we wanted to go."

He guffawed. "Sounds like some Secret Garden bullshit." He felt her began to pull away but he held her tight and settled her back on his lap. "But if we were there together I'm sure it was great."

Bonnie slipped from his hold and stood, while Damon could do nothing but stare at her smooth, rich complexion. "It was." She stepped out of the tub. "It just sucks being the only person to remember."

His eyes followed her as she crossed the room, picked up and clean towel and dried her skin. She then slipped on a pair of fresh panties, perched her perfect ass on the vanity counter and began to lotion her skin.

"What do you think we're going to find out tomorrow?" she asked trying and failing to hide the worry in her voice.

"Who knows," he shrugged. "This'll sound cliché but like I said, I could care less about where we are, as long as we're together." This said with a syrupy sweetness that was definitely meant to tease.

"I hate you," she laughed.

The sound of the doorbell chiming broke them of their joyful moment and Bonnie slid from the counter and plucked up his discarded shirt. "I'll get it."

Damon frowned. "You know it's dangerous to go answering the door here. Everyone knows this is vampire central," he placed his hands on the sides of the tub and began to stand. "Let me get it."

Bonnie frowned. "Don't coddle me like you did Elena." She rolled those beautiful eyes of hers. "I can protect myself."

As she threaded her arms through the sleeves of his tee, the doorbell rang again and he began to dry off. "I know you can baby, it's still not going to stop me from worrying."

She turned and began to head out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. "I got it."

He shrugged as he followed her. He was stepping into a clean pair of pajama bottoms and watching her step into the hallway, when something on his dresser caught his eye.

Crossing the room, he took note of the little leatherbound book. He picked it up, noting that he had to be older than him. His fingers flipped through the pages as he realized it was full of erotic poetry in French and the thought of reading it to Bonnie made him smile.

When he got to the middle of the book, there, nestled in the pages was a white satin ribbon, soft and delicate, reminding him of his girlfriend, so naturally he took a whiff.

_*"Did you know that I thought you were beautiful the first time I laid eyes on you?" he asked as he and Bonnie lay in bed, listening to rain fall outside the open windows._

_She pulled herself closer to him. "What? When you were stuck up Elena's ass and sleeping with Caroline?" she frowned. "Creep."_

_He swatted her bottom. "No and that was not the first time I saw you."_

"_Stalker." Damon made a motion to climb out of bed but the youth slipped her limbs around him. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She kissed his lips. "When did you first see me?"_

_The Former Vampire with the Best Luck Ever stroked her face. "Well, don't get the wrong idea but you were two years old—"_

"_You saw me when I was a toddler." She thought for a second. "You were checking in on the Bennett line?"_

_A shrug. "I'd made a promise." He held her tight. "Anyway, before I was rudely interrupted," he looked at her smirk, "I was stopping by Sheila's house and coincidently it was Easter Day and there was little Bonnie Bennett crawling around her Grams' front yard, in a little white dress, with Abby, searching for eggs." He chuckled. "And somehow there was already dirt smeared on your cheeks."_

_Bonnie rolled away from him, as she clutched her stomach, laughing joyously. "Why would you bring this horrid story up now."_

_Damon rolled on his back, placed his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "I was thinking, since I'm human again, maybe you and I can have a daughter just as beautiful."_

He remembered that conversation and the way Bonnie had cried after his revelation. How they had began to plan a future together, with just the two of them, wondering if this beautiful paradise would allow them complete happiness.

_*Dancing with Bonnie in a French courtyard, under a blanket of stars, before they stopped their rhythm and he enjoyed his first kiss with her._

_*Wiping dirt off her cheek as they kneeled in the garden._

_*Feeding her fried plantains when she had shied away from the exotic treat._

_*Sitting in front of the fireplace reading._

_*Holding hands as they stood on the front porch of their home, watching a white light prepare to consume them… again._

* * *

Bonnie had pounded down the stairs, thoroughly upset that someone was interrupting her time with her boyfriend again. As she grabbed the door handle, a witty comment was at the tip of her tongue but the door was barely open when she felt a pain like none other.

She knew that the wooden bolt, which had flown from the crossbow, had been meant for Damon. It was just so unfortunately inconvienant that his heart was almost perfectly in line with her throat and that her murderer (yes murderer, she thought, because she knew that she would die) had known Damon's height to the inch.

But that was his job after all, being one of the Five.

Her eyes searched Jeremy's, which were huge with panic and shock. She wanted to ask him why but the pain was too sharp and hot and all she could do was turn towards the stairs, hoping to get to her love, so that she could see his face one last time.

She'd barely taken two steps towards the stairs, when her extremities began to feel cold and numb causing her to lose her balance.

Luckily Damon chose this moment to appear at the second floor landing. His eyes grew, registering the scene and in an instant, she was tumbling into his embrace.

His arms cradled her as he sat to the floor, pulling her into his lap.

"Bonnie," he moaned as he stroked her face.

The contrast of his cold hand, against her flushed face felt amazing. It felt like life, making her feel that everything was going to be okay because she had him in this moment. Yet she watched him sink his teeth into his wrist and when he brought it to her lips, she turned her head away.

"Don't be stubborn," he pleaded as his voice caught in his throat. "Please," yet she continued to turn away. "I need you."

She shook her head, it being the only part of her body she could still feel because everything below her neck had grown numb.

"Chose life." Damon pleaded. "Choose me. Be selfish for once in your damn life and choose yourself."

And maybe it was in this moment, he realized that this might be his last time speaking to her, so he took a deep breath, letting the tears escape his eyes freely.

"Remember when I made you that crown of flowers out of delphiniums and baby's breath? I tucked a white peony behind the ribbon that was clasped around your throat." He kissed said throat, her blood, for once, tasting wrong to his palate.

"I read French poetry to you, in that field?" She nodded and he smiled down at her. "All of those poems were filthy and vulgar."

Bonnie wanted to laugh but found herself choking up her blood instead.

"I love you so very much Little Bird," he promised.

And because it was all she could do, Bonnie nodded her head, before losing consciousness.

* * *

Of course Damon tried to feed her his blood, yet it was such a task trying to get her body to involuntarily swallow anything and with all the blood she had coughed up, that dribbled down her chin and oozed from her wound, he couldn't tell if any had made it into her system.

He held her until her heart and breathing stopped.

When he knew she was gone, he carefully laid her body on the ground before he stalked to the hysterical boy who stood in the foyer, weeping about his ex-girlfriend.

Damon made his way to Jeremy, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the nearest wall, before he growled, "Where's the Gilbert ring?"

Jeremy shook his head. "It won't work on her. She's a supernatural and you have to be wearing it when you die."

Not liking the fact that the boy wasn't answering his question, he grabbed Jeremy's hand and when he found which finger possessed the ring, he ripped said finger off the boys hand.

Jeremy howled in pain. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He apologized. "I didn't know she was staying here again. She wasn't supposed to answer the door."

It clicked in the vampire's head. "But I was?"

The hunter nodded. "Yeah."

"I hope it hurts you just as much."

"Her death already hurts me," he admitted.

Yet the murderous vampire shook his head, "I meant your own."

Biting into Jeremy's throat and spitting it all right into his face felt good.

Watching the boy slide to the ground and die felt better.

Turning off his humanity felt amazing.


	10. Repercussions

**Repercussions (or the Fallout)**

Stefan had wanted to stay the night with Caroline but knew that he needed to head home soon.

He kissed the blond goodbye, before he slid behind the wheel of his car and hit the road. The drive back to Mystic Falls was serene. Virginia had some of the most beautiful scenery and the thought of taking his girl for a ride on his motorcycle made him smile.

She would definitely need a leather jacket and a fabulously overpriced pair of sunglasses.

After the two and a half hour drive, his home came into view. He drove up the massive driveway and stopped at the door of the imposing home. Cutting the engine, he leaned back in his seat and reflected on the past few days.

Caroline had decided that the pair should come clean to Elena, not that they had anything to hide, of course. She, for some reason, had thought that taking Elena out for lunch and discussing it then would be best.

The entire affair had felt like two parents awkwardly telling their child that they were getting a divorce but, surprising them both, Elena had taken the news in stride. She'd shrugged her shoulders, admitted she'd kind of seen it coming and had given them her blessing.

"Why can't I be happy for my friends finding love with one another, after you've all spent years of your lives protecting me?" had been her philosophical reasoning.

So the trio had enjoyed their meal, stories. Laughs and smiles had been exchanged and when all was said and done, Elena headed home, after giving them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Stefan and Caroline had spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Whitmore's campus, finding interesting sites and dark corners to make out. After a quick bite at an old fifties styled drive in diner, he'd taken her home.

Now he looked up at his house, wondering if Damon had done as he'd promised and christened each room, including Stefan's, with Bonnie.

The elder Salvatore had sent him a quick text, telling him to stay lost for a few days because Bonnie was moving in but more specifically, into his bedroom.

Finally, Stefan thought he'd mentally prepared himself for what he might walk in on. Granted seeing Bonnie in a unladylike manner wouldn't be a horrid thing, it would definitely make breakfasts a little uncomfortable at the boarding house for a while.

He opened the front door, stepped into the foyer and realized that… he hadn't been prepared for anything.

Jeremy's body sat on the floor, leaned against the wall, throat ripped out, blood splattered on his face and a finger messing, crossbow resting at his feet.

Then there was Bonnie.

Bonnie laid lovingly on the floor, looking so peaceful if it weren't for the wooden arrow jutting out of her neck. Her blood covering the wound, spilt from her mouth and eyes staring up towards the ceiling.

He had to take a step back. It was too much.

Immediately his heart sank, until it almost stopped beating because in this horrific scene he'd stumbled across in his home, his brother was nowhere in sight.

"Damon!" he shouted, feet unable to carry him across the space in a straight line.

Yes he'd seen worse scenarios, had caused worst scenes than this, but with it being Jeremy and Bonnie, his wonderful friend Bonnie, the girl who'd almost filled the hole Lexis had left in his heart… seeing them like this was just too much and not right.

"Damon!"

"In here Stefan," he anounced, so calmly that it irked Stefan in a way he didn't want to dwell on.

Stepping into the living room, he saw his brother, sitting on the couch, sipping some sort of drink. He looked so odd wearing just a pair of pajama pants, his chest, chin and mouth covered in dry blood and his hair and eyes wild.

"What happened?" Stefan pled.

"Jeremy stopped here, planning to go all Daryl Dixon on me, and caught Bonnie in the throat instead." Damon smirked. "So I took his." He rolled his eyes. "And I really didn't feel like cleaning up that mess or dealing with the bodies, so…"

Stefan nodded as his eyes began to water. "And you turned off your humanity." His brother shrugged. "Damon," he stopped having nothing to say that could really express anything at the moment.

"Come on Stef," the blue eyed vampire took a sip of his drink. "Cheer up. I mean, it's not that bad. Sure our witch is dead but there are plenty more and well, Jeremy was kind of useless to begin with."

The younger brother stepped further into the room. "You loved her."

A frown. "I did lots of things." He finished his drink before he stood and walked back to the bar to refresh his glass. "I tried to turn her too but I don't think that worked."

Stefan wiped his tears. "She wouldn't have been too happy about that."

Damon chuckled. "Witch was being all kinds of ungrateful." He shook his head. "As she's lying there dying, she fought trying to refuse my blood."

"But did she swallow any of it?" Stefan asked optimistically.

"Does it look like I can differentiate any one's blood from anyone else's in that massacre?" his eyes shifted towards the two aforementioned bodies. "I assume you'll probably want to waste your time and bury thrm."

Stefan nodded his head.

He watched his brother stand and make his way into the foyer. He casually looked at the bodies, before he stepped over Bonnie and made his up the stairs.

This was bad.

What do you do when your very emotional ex girlfriend's brother has died again but you know for a fact, there's no way he's coming back this time? When your great friend was accidentally murder, instead of your brother? And when said brother just stopped caring?

He called Caroline.

* * *

Of course Caroline didn't know what to do, except break the news to their friends.

Now, she sat in the back of Tyler's s.u.v., holding Elena as she sobbed. Caroline herself was in tears but her best friend, her once again only best friend, was taking it the hardest.

"I just don't…" Elena began before she hiccupped. "Why would Jeremy do something like this? How could he kill Bonnie?"

Caroline stroked the brunette's hair. "Stefan said Jeremy was trying to kill Damon."

The car was filled with silence as Tyler drove through "downtown" Mystic Falls.

Finally, Matt spoke up. "He mentioned something last week about Damon and Bonnie." His eyes stared out the window. "He said that he could be with Bonnie, if it weren't for Damon." He covered his face with his hands. "I just… I didn't think he'd try to actually get rid of Damon."

Hearing this name, Elena grew angry. "And he just killed Jeremy. He ripped his fucking throat out like he meant nothing."

"Well, I mean you gotta understand, Damon loved Bonnie," Tyler spoke up. "Who wouldn't seek revenge on the person who killed their mate?"

"But he wasn't trying to kill Bonnie. He'd never hurt her."

Caroline cleared her throat. "Let's not sit here and think of what ifs, or who did what, for whatever reason." She took a deep breath. "Let's just try to figure out where we're going from here."

They made the rest of the drive in silence.

Arriving at the boarding house, they found Stefan waiting in the driveway. He said nothing but hugged Caroline and Elena before escorting the group through the woods.

They covered over an acre of land by foot, before they found the two graves that Stefan had dug and the two bodies laid on each side.

Elena rushed to her brother, fell to her knees, rested her head on his chest and sobbed.

Everyone gave her her time with Jeremy as they paid their respects for Bonnie, for the second time in a year. Tears were shed and speeches were given before Tyler and Stefan placed the bodies in their new homes and began to cover them with dirt.

When the bodies were covered Tyler and Matt helped Elena inside, while Caroline stayed behind with Stefan.

She slid her hand into his and threaded their fingers.

"We'll be okay, eventually," she tried to comfort him.

"Damon turned off his humanity."

Caroline stepped in front of him, met his eyes and asked, "what?"

Stefan chuckled. "After Bonnie died and he killed Jeremy. He flipped it off." She watched him wipe away a tear. "He just stepped over her body and went upstairs to his room." He looked up to the moonless sky. "I mean, I've turned it off before but to see him just, walk over her, as if she meant nothing. Like, like she wasn't the girl he's madly in love with."

The blond vampire cupped his face in her hands. "That only proves how much he loved her. The fact that he can't and doesn't want to even try to cope with the pain. If she didn't mean the absolute world to him, he wouldn't have done that. We'll just have to let this sort itself out."

He grabbed her face and kissed her forehead. "I hope we can all be okay."

She nodded. "In time we will."

The pair made their way inside and entered the living room with everyone else. The five sat around the room, drinking, telling stories and trying to make the best of, yet another, bad situation.

Around midnight, their mourning was interrupted by Damon, as he came whistling in the room.

Elena was quickly at her feet, pushing him into a wall and baring her fangs.

"How could you?"

He stared her down. "If you don't change your tone with me, I'll gladly give you a reenactment." He slapped her hands away. "He killed Bonnie because he failed to kill me." He smirked. "He deserved it."

The doppelganger stepped away from him. "And you deserve worse," she snarled. "You are the worst person I've ever met. You bring out the worst in everyone and I'm glad Bonnie didn't live long enough for you to corrupt her, like you did me."

"Let's watch our words here," Matt said making his way to the pair.

"No," Damon said with a sneer. "Let Elena tell us all about how I forced her to do every single bad thing she's ever done. "Let her tell us how I made her attack Bonnie because she didn't win Prom Queen. Or how she did nothing to help bring Bonnie back from the dead, content that she had her brother back and my dick to ride every night."

"I loved Bonnie."

"Not nearly as much as I do," he growled.

She shook her head. "That's not fair—"

"And neither was your brother killing the only girl I've ever truly loved since I was human."

Elena shook her head. "I thought you loved me?"

The blue eyed man shook his head. "Apparently not as much as I'd thought." He stepped around her and made his way to the foyer. He tapped his foot on the floor. "Hey Stef, you missed a spot," he stated before he walked out the door.

Elena made her way to the kitchen in tears. Matt followed.

"What a fucking dick," Tyler stated, taking a sip of his beer.

Yet Stefan laughed.

Caroline looked to him, concern etched in her features. "How are you laughing right now?"

"Damon just said he loves Bonnie." He smiled at Caroline. "His emotions are off but he still somehow has his feelings for her."

An eyebrow rose. "Is that what you took from that? Not him being a mega dick or making Elena feel even worse but that he still has his feelings for Bonnie."

Tyler stood. "But if he still has feelings for her, maybe we can use that to get him to switch his humanity back on."

* * *

Damon sat at the bar, trying to drink his feelings, that he shouldn't have, away.

He didn't give two shits about anything except Bonnie, when he shouldn't have even been thinking about her at all. Yet it seemed as though all of the emotions he should have felt about everything else, were all being thrown at Bonnie.

His chest ached, making him feel as if someone had ripped open his ribcage and torn out his heart. He chuckled, having reminded himself of the damage he'd done to Baby Gilbert.

And that's what bothered him.

Thinking of Jeremy's death made him laugh. Thinking of Bonnie made him want to watch the sunrise without his day ring.

The fact that Elena had snapped on him caused a brief shrug of his shoulders. Walking over Bonnie's body, as if she hadn't matter, felt like being shot by his father, yet again.

But what was the point of continuing to care, when that person was no longer there.

He'd compelled the bartender to let him drink his fill and after three bottles of Johnny Walker Blue Label and after closing time, he finally felt something of a buzz.

"I gotta close up shop," the man behind the bar told him, once the last group of patrons had shuffled out.  
Damon frowned. "One more drink?"

The man shook his head, "I have to get home."

And yet again, Damon didn't feel any regret while he drank the man dry, as he begged for his life, for the sake of his wife and children. But he felt his eyes water when he realized that he would never be able to return to that wondrous land with his beautiful witch.

As he let the body unceremoniously fall to the floor, he knew that he needed to get to New Orleans and have a talk with the mysterious LeAnn.

* * *

Around three o'clock the sky broke and let loose a downpour the town hadn't seen in quite a while. Matt and Tyler headed to the Lockwood home, with Elena, to retire for the night. Stefan was grateful that Caroline had stuck around, to keep him company. They sat on the couch, talking about anything and everything.

"So, you think we can get Damon to turn his emotions back on?" Caroline asked optimistically.

Stefan shrugged. "That's what I'm hoping." He smiled. "The fact that he even said that he loved Bonnie speaks volumes. If your humanity is off, you wouldn't even think about how much you used to love someone. You remember how Elena was?"

The blond nodded. "So do you think he's lying about having turned it off?"

"Not at all," he paused. "But I think whatever is going on between the two of them is too strong for him to just shut down everything that he feels for her. I really hope that we can find a way to use her to get him back on track."

"But how can we use her, when we no longer…"

She didn't finish her sentence before she was raked with sobs.

Stefan gathered her in his arms. He stroked her hair, kissing her forehead and fumbling over the right words to say.

Caroline looked up into his eyes. "I just… I'd do anything to hear her voice again."

The pair heard the front door slam shut, before the patter of bare feet, slapping against hardwood flooring. They both let out audible gasps at the sight of Bonnie, covered in mud, from head to toe, looking completely out of sorts.

Bonnie cleared her throat, before she told Caroline. "You can start by telling me where Damon is, so that I can kill him for turning me into a fucking vampire."

* * *

Lucy waited at the gate of their flight, checking the time and her cell phone.

Damon and Bonnie were late.

It was now eight thirty and their plane would be taking off in fifteen minutes. She'd tried calling them both multiple times, to no avail. If they'd gotten wrapped up in their coital haze again and missed this flight, she'd murder them both.

Finally she saw Damon approaching, looking casual as ever, no bags, keys or Bonnie.

"Hey Luce," he greeted, walked past her and to the podium.

She quickly followed behind him and after showing their boarding passes, they stepped onto the plane, the witch constantly checking over her shoulder for her little cousin.

"Where's Bonnie?"

Damon slid into his seat and buckled his belt. "She won't be making it."

"Is she alright?" Lucy asked as she sat and snapped together her safety belt.

"Not particularly," Damon grimaced. "She kind of… died again, last night."

Feeling her heart jump into her throat, Lucy sat back in her seat. "I'm sorry, what?"

He rolled his eyes as he turned off his phone, which had been buzzing nonstop in his pocket. "Jeremy tried to kill me but got Bonnie instead. So hopefully your buddy LeAnn can fix that problem too."

Lucy griped her armrest, as not to strangle the flippant vampire instead.

"You do know the Other Side is gone now? So even if there had been some kind of solution, we have no way of finding her because she no longer exists."

"Bulllshit," he scoffed. "I'll find a way."

* * *

When the plane landed, the duo weaved their way through the airport, towards the parking garage. Damon turned on his phone, which buzzed showing indications that Stefan and Caroline had left numerous voicemails and texts. Not wanting to deal with the righteous ones at the moment, he turned it back off.

He knew that their only concern would be finding him and turning his humanity back on.

While his only priority was, as it should be, returning Bonnie to the living side. And as usual, he couldn't count on anyone else to get the job done. Plus, she was the love of his life, so it was only right that he be the handsome prince to come to her rescue.

Damon ignored Lucy's sniffles and ramblings about whatever it was witches bitched about.

He snatched her keys from her hand, hit the alarm and found her car when the lights flashed and it let out a soft chirp. They climbed inside and she directed him to LeAnn's home.

Was he eager to meet some random traveler who'd once witchnapped his now deceased girlfriend? No. Would he rather be curled up in his bed at home? Of course. But if this woman could somehow make it possible that he could be curled up in his bed with Bonnie, he'd listen to some nonsensical jabbering for a little while.

He pulled into the driveway Lucy had pointed out and when he put the car in park and was about to cut the engine, Lucy placed her hand on top of his.

"I'm not staying," she told him. "Call me when you're ready."

The vampire shrugged. "Sure."

Damon climbed out the vehicle and made his way up the walkway, as Lucy slid behind the wheel and backed out of the drive.

His boots thudded up the stairs and he lazily made his way to the door.

God how he hated the mugginess which was the Big Easy.

His knuckles rapped against the screen door and he could only smirk. Some kind of all knowing traveler, he thought, hadn't even anticipated his arrival.

Blue eyes sensed movement from the back of the house and as the person neared, a familiar voice called, "Damn Salvatore, as I live and breathe."

"You LeAnn?" he asked.

"Yes sir," she finally appeared at the door and the sight before him, caused him to take a few steps back. "But you may remember me from some time ago." Damon closed the distance between them and she opened the screen door wide. "Damon Salvatore, won't you please come inside."

Damon crossed the threshold, still in shock as he looked her up and down.

It was indeed Lillian Jackson.

The woman he hadn't seen in over one hundred sixty years looked as though she hadn't aged sixteen years. She still kept her hair cropped short, except now exceptionally stylish and Damon noticed the graying at her temples. The corners of her lips still held that slight upturn, as though she were constantly smiling, reminding him of his childhood when she'd slip him and Stefan extra slices of cake before bed.

She turned and he followed her deeper into the home, taking in all of the antiques, knickknacks and pictures.

Lillian stopped in the kitchen and began to open a few jars. She mixed some herbs and liquids before she placed them in a tumbler with ice, which she filled to the brim with whiskey.

"Thanks," he muttered and took a big sip.

Immediately his head felt on fire. He dropped the glass and fell to his knees clutching his head, as all the painful emotions came flooding back.

"What did you do?!" he shouted.

Lillian shrugged. "I don't allow non emotional vampires in my home sweetie," she frowned. "Sorry. Can't have you deciding to kill me on a whim."

As the pain ebbed, Damon climbed to his feet and plopped down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Why would you do that?"

"I told you why," she explained, before adding. "And you need your humanity, in order for me to get this story across properly."

He watched her prepare him another glass of whiskey, without the extra dose of death. She slid it across the table to him and began to clean up his mess.

"What story?"

She emptied the shattered glass into the trash and grabbed her mop. "Of why Mariam and I left. The favor that we asked of Katherine and Emily before doing so. And why you and the now dead Bonnie need to return to Zelphania."


	11. History 101

**Author's**** Note:**Sorry for the delay but damn did I have a hard time writing this. This chapter and the next (possibly a third) will consist of the back story of Lillian, Mariam, Damon and the rest of the olde timey Mystic Falls gang. I'm hoping most of my plot will come together for you guys after these next chapters are completed.

I know you all love Bamon but hopefully if you've followed this story thus far, you trust me to tell you an amazing story. I will however interrupt these chapters to peek back in on Bonnie's situation for a chapter. Again, I hope you enjoy this and know that I'm kind of nervous about posting this. If you've any concerns or questions feel free to leave them in a review and log in so I can send you a proper reply, as I usually try to do.

And just totally disregard any of the canon back story from the show cause I'm making my own shit up at this point (like I've been).

Now enough rambling.

* * *

**Chapter** **Ten****:** _History_ _101_ _(or_ _Concubines_ _and_ _Placees)_

Before she was known as Lillian, she had a name that only the most worthy were allowed to speak.

Growing up on the Western banks of Africa, she was renown as a Goddess. Of course back then people either feared or worshipped those who practiced magic and luckily for her, her village was filled with the latter. When it became known that her parents possessed a child bestowed with so much magic in her tiny little fingers, they were immediately raised to the status of royalty.

They moved from their tiny shack, to a home envied by all. The only thing that was asked of her were small favors that benefited her village and because she liked the attention, she granted them with what they needed.

Her mother passed away when she was thirteen, her father when she was fifteen and that following month, she was the leader of their kingdom. Yet at the age of seventeen, the slave trade had grown to an exuberant amount and as the people of her home celebrated her twentieth birthday, the were ambushed.

Two of her faithful guards did their best to protect their sclari ghadnko (little queen) and they were able to do their jobs well, but when the task became saving their own, they had failed.

She sat in the brush, trying to use her powers to save the others, yet drunk on the wines of the valley and high from the herbs of the land, she had no control of what she was doing.

That night she spent in the outskirts of the jungle, and watched her village burn to the ground.

When the sun rose and the men were gone, she took in the sight before her. Everything her people had worked hard for gone. The men, women and children, who had not been taken, lay in pools of their own blood, dead, bloodied and beaten in the most savage of ways.

The men who'd pillaged her land, had urinated and one had even defecated on her thrown, before someone else had kicked it over.

Silently, she made her way to the temple. There she fell to her knees and sobbed. She apologized to those who had trusted her to protect them and how she had failed them in the worst way possible. She prayed to the Gods for help in avenging the deaths of those she loved.

Aphrodite was the only one to answer her prayers.

The Goddess approached, hair the color of the western skies at dusk, eyes as blue as the water that surrounded the coast. She sat beside the young queen, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulled her into her lap and held her as she wept.

Her voice as soft as the gentle breeze that played in their hair, told of her own lost many many years ago. A story of a son and his wife, who'd been lost to her for centuries. A promise was made, 'help me find my son and daughter and I will create a heaven for you and all of your people, so that you can again be the earthly Goddess that you truly are. Follow your instincts, ask yourself the right questions and you will be led to the answers'.

That following month she allowed herself to be captured and taken into captivity. And once upon the large ship she had unleashed her fury. She let the people of the land free, killed all but a few of the crew and demanded they take her to the new land, where her people were being enslaved.

New Orleans was the most magical city she'd ever set foot in and despite everyone's fear of magic, most had no ideas of the spells, deals and promises that took place in its under belly.

She found a nice lucrative success in selling 'herbal' remedies. Able to soothe any ailment that bestowed her clients. And this is what she did for ten years, until a woman stumbled into her shop.

Long flowing raven hair peaked from beneath a hood and vibrant blue eyes searched hers as the woman pleaded, begged for a solution to her fertility issues. How her older husband had left his wife, the mother of his son for her, only for the younger woman to be unable to produce a single heir.

Lillian refused, telling her that such magic required constant surveillance throughout gestation and she could not be reckless enough to do such a thing, for a woman who was only visiting the town.

The desperate woman pulled out her money pouch and promised it all and more to her if she would return with her and her husband to Virginia and do all that she could to help her produce a child.

She was all set to refuse, until the woman clasped her hands, inside her own and begged between sobs. And their was something in her aura that reminded her of what Aphrodite had told her, of following her instincts, that made her close up shop and move to Mystic Falls.

That following year Damon Giuseppe Salvatore was born.

The madam of the home and her husband treated Lillian quite well. She had her own home and was allowed to come and go as she pleased. Guiseppe knew that she had a hand in magic, since his wife had told him how she and Lillian had met and their agreement. She and the master of the plantation came to an understanding.

She would make sure his crops were bountiful and flourished, quadrupling his profits… if he freed every man, woman and child on his property and the ones who wanted to stay on for work would get paid a white man's salary and receive proper housing and meals.

A deal was struck.

After, she stuck around because honestly she was living a pretty decent life. Sure she could have transferred her being into a much more 'privileged' body but she truly wanted to stay true to herself.

Her second year in Mystic Falls, she met him. And he was everything she could ask for.

He held inside himself, the same magic as she. Able to manipulate the elements, move freely from one vessel to the next and occasionally see what others could not. She assisted him in helping the beings, who were unlucky to be enslaved on other plantations, find their way to freedom.

The earthbound Goddess quickly fell in love and in a year's time the pair had sent hundreds to freedom and they'd welcomed a sandy haired boy named Daniel into their world. The following year brought their beautiful baby girl Mariam.

Mrs Salvatore dotted on the plump little girl. She'd kiss her cheeks and parade her around the house, send for beautiful little dresses and tying tiny ribbons in the baby's curls. How she begged Lillian to help her through another pregnancy.

Lillian argued that she would do no such thing.

Yet when her sweet Mariam made a year and Daniel was only three himself, she and their father had gotten into a terrible quarrel. Yes they both wanted the same goal, freedom and equality for all but one night he'd taken things too far. The pair had argued through the night and when dawn had broken, she watched him leave with the night sky.

A month later she found the necessary ingredients to make the serum for Mrs. Salvatore.

How quickly the years passed with the little ones underfoot.

Yet when little Stefan turned three his mother fell ill.

Lillian did everything in her power to heal her friend, yet there were some illnesses that magic couldn't touch. They buried her at the end of the summer, in her cherished rose garden, beneath a sweeping willow tree.

Giuseppe took his grief out on the boys and when ever he could, Damon took the punishments for himself and Stefan. If he were asked, Giuseppe would tell anyone that the eldest of the two was the biggest disappointment to man.

When his son turned fifteen, the pair came to an agreement.

Giuseppe bought a plot of land in New Orleans, since Damon had been infatuated with the area since his first visit at twelve. He sent some of his best laborers down, to cultivate the land and prepare it for proper crop growing. The father and son went down South and planned a lavish home for his flashy son, with the intent that Damon would move there, to Louisanna, and make something of what his father had started for him, while Stefan took over the familial matters in Virginia.

He tried his best to cultivate the boy, sending him away to school to be refined. But to make matters worse, at eighteen his son was still not properly associated with any of the family business and was growing significantly attached to that pretty little mulatto girl.

Yet Damon was determined to Damon up everything. And now at the age of nineteen, Giuseppe was fed up.

The young man begrudgingly woke with the rising sun one spring morning, head swimming from the copious amounts of alcohol he'd consumed the night before.

Stefan had returned from studying in Boston the previous morning and when Damon's friend Gideon, who was notorious for trouble, had spotted the brothers in town, he'd pleaded for them to meet him at the whore house two towns over to celebrate the youngest's return. The pair begrudgingly agreed, knowing that Giuseppe would make some callous remark about his boys being sissies and turning up a prime opertunity to chase tail.

The trio had gone to the parlor and drank their fill, while girls upon girls had thrown themselves at the handsome, rich and single young men. Gideon offered to buy Damon a romp with the most sought after girl in the place.

"No one should be your age and still a virgin." Gideon teased.

Damon scoffed. "Because you're doing much better?"

And with a knowing smile, he'd replied. "I had that little piece from your plantation."

His eyebrows shot skyward and when he reasonably thought over what Gideon was implying, he quickly deduced that the man had obviously meant someone else and not the girl who was slowly and unknowingly getting a firmer grasp of his heart.

"Earlene?"

"Not that one," he'd laughed. "That mulatto girl Miriam."

An anger unfurled from deep within his belly. "I don't believe you."

Gideon had shrugged. "Believe what you will."

This news had been the reason, Stefan had to almost carry him up to his room.

Now he lay in bed, incredibly hung over, extremely upset and thoroughly aroused. His manhood, firm and thick, waiting to be taken in hand.

Damon rolled onto his back and kicked off his sheets, letting the warm breeze that slid through the open window, cover his sweat slicked body, before he wrapped a strong hand around himself.

How he wished he were, instead, inside of Miriam. He'd heard how soft, slick and tight slipping into a woman was and he'd only ever thought of her, when he'd imagined having his first intimate moment with a lady. Now knowing that she was no longer pure and had succumb to Gideon's advances angered him beyond belief, as he worked himself over.

He was so caught up in his physical and emotional feelings that he didn't notice the door crack and didn't know he was no longer alone in the room, until said girl had backed in with a wash basin in her hands.

Her gasp alerted him of her presence.

Normally the gentleman in him would have stopped but he only bit his lip as he watched her warm brown eyes enlarge as she stood in shock, assessing the scene before her. She moved to walk out but he barked,

"Stay. Shut the door."

The extra bass in his voice, from being overly aroused, must have told her that this wasn't her friend speaking but one of the masters of the home and she looked away and did as she was told.

Damon saw her hands shake and her bottom lip quiver and he only worked himself faster.

She turned her back to him and set the basin in the stand and continued to keep her back to him.

"Watch me," he demanded. "I want you to see what I do when I think of you." Damon knew he shouldn't have been angry with her, especially with him knowing Gideon, he should have assumed that any intimate moment between the pair may have been one sided and forced but he was angry and didn't care.

When she refused to face him, he demanded. "Look at me!"

She did as she was told but instead of watching the ministrations of his hands, she stared into his eyes, hers red and brimming with tears.

"Don't act as though you've never seen such a thing. As if you're as innocent as you like to appear." He teased. "I know about you and Gideon."

Her head shook. "I did no such thing with him." She admitted. "If he implied as much then he deceived you and if you believe him then you're just as big of a fool as he is Damon Salvatore."

Without another glance at him, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind herself.

And with the shutting of the door, Damon sprayed his seed upon his belly, feeling like an idiot.

Leave it to Gideon to lead him to make an ass of himself.

* * *

Mariam stood behind the main house, shaking out bed linen with her beat friend Earlene. It was her last chore of the day and the young woman was more than ready to sit and rest her feet before it was time to serve supper to the misters Salvatore.

"So…" Earlene began giving Mariam a side glance. "What's going on with you and Master Damon?"

The bronze skinned girl shook her head, springy black curls bouncing in the ponytail at the back of her head, as she recalled what had taken place just that morning. "Absolutely nothing! Why would you ask such a thing?"

Her friend frowned. "How can you sit here and act like you don't know that that white boy is sweet on you." They pinned the sheet to the line. "And that he has been since we were kids."

Mariam scoffed. "Don't go talking your tall tales and putting me in them." Yet she felt her face flush with anger, hating the man who had treated her in not so friendly way hours ago. "Damon and Stefan are… were friends of mine."

"See, there you go. Stefan and Damon. Not properly addressing them as Masters."

"I thought I was in friendly company?" she asked, bending to pull another cloth from the wicker basket.

Earlene grabbed the other end. "You know you are but I've heard you call them that to their faces." She shrugged. "Both of those boys are sweet on you if you ask me."

"Well I didn't."

The pair hung another two sheets, while Mariam chewed on what had just been brought to her attention. Sure she occasionally get special treatment from the boys but it's never anything out of the ordinary. Plus everyone on the plantation was treated fairly, with them all having their freedom paper and earning fair wages. And now with the most recent development, she would definitely be distancing herself from the eldest brother.

And although she was upset with the way he had acted that morning, she couldn't deny the feel of arousal or moisture that had seeped from her core, at finding him in such an intimate state.

"Plus our mamas were friends," she added in order to help her case.

Her friend laughed. "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I know."

The girls comtinued to work in silence, with Mariam receiving a know it all glance from Earlene. When they were almost done with their task, Earlene cleared her throat, glanced over Mariam's shoulder and nodded her head.

Mariam looked over her shoulder and to her surprise found Damon Salvatore quickly making his way toward them.

"Master Damon," Earlene addressed the young man as he approached. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

He bowed to Mariam and swiftly turned to Earlene. "Could I possibly steal her away for a brief spell?"

Mariam's eyes quickly looked to Earlene and she shook her head with a frown, before her friend replied, "Of course Master Damon. I don't know why you'd bother asking."

"Thanks," smile full of teeth as he grabbed Mariam by the hand and tugged her across the property.

When they were a safe distance away, Mariam pulled her arm from his grasp. "What are you doing Master Damon?"

"Don't do that master thing with me. You know better," he chastised. "And I wanted to apologize. I acted like an ass."

She scoffed. "You acted like a hateful slave master. And I can't believe you'd do such a thing and believe that I would have done… that with Gideon Lockwood of all people."

He angrily placed the book he was holding, in her hands and confessed. "I was angry."

"Which doesn't give you the right to act out in such a way, especially to someone I thought you considered a friend."

"I know and I'm sorry."

"I don't care," she admitted, letting her overflowing anger spew from her mouth. "You treated me like a friend when you thought that you could take my maidenhood and as soon as you believe it's gone, you act in such a barbaric way? Friends don't do that."

His blue eyes looked down to his feet and he stared at the toes of his shoes. "I don't know why I believed him last night." A hand raked through his raven locks. "It might have been because I was inebriated but again, I know that doesn't excuse what I did."

"Not at all."

"But I came to you to right that wrong." He nodded towards the book. "I just spoke with your mama and she told me she'd never learned how to read English and you'd never been taught, so I wanted to teach you. To show how sorry I am and to prove to you that I do care deeply for you."

She shrugged as she looked over the cover of the book in her possession and shoved it to his chest. "It's going to take more than teaching the little negro girl how to read for you to earn my apology, Master Damon."

"I still wanna teach you."

"Why is this so important?" she asked him as her eyes looked over the cover of the book in his possession.

He frowned at her. "Because it is. You're seventeen and soon will be off, seeing the world and how disconcerting will it be that you can't properly indulge in all of it's pleasures?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she confessed.

He tucked a curl behind her ear and stroked her chin. His eyes bore into hers and he admitted. "Doll, you are going to go everywhere your heart desires."

She felt her anger ebb a little, yet it still sat with her. His actions that morning had shocked and disgusted her and she'd known that he most have been upset for him to justify doing such a thing.

It still didn't make it right however.

Yet she didn't need to speak another word, as she saw Stefan approach and she swiftly backed away from Damon's touch. When Stefan was near the two, he cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Supper will be ready soon."

"Great," Damon interrupted. "What's your point?"

Instead of replying to his brother's question, he looked to Mariam. "Your mother is looking for you," he said.

Mariam thanked him, before she rushed back to the house.

The brothers watched her leave and when she was out of earshot, Stefan scolded, "Imagine had father walked upon that scene."

Damon rolled his eyes. "There wasn't any scene for him to have witnessed. Just me chatting with a friend."

"You know how dad feels about your attatchment to Mariam."

The older brother began to head towards their home, Stefan at his heels. "I can't care for a childhood friend?"

"Of course you can," Stefan admitted. "It's just everyone on this plantation can sense the kind of caring you have for her."

The brothers walked past the back porch and into the kitchen. Their sense of smell overwhelmed with delicious aromas wafting in the room, as Lillian pulled some sort of casserole out of the stone oven pit. She placed it on the table and Damon kissed her cheek, while he winked at Mariam.

He couldn't fight his grin when her cheeks flushed.

"Smells wonderful in here Lillian," Stefan called as he grabbed Damon's arm and pulled him from the room.

* * *

Supper was quiet as usual, with Giuseppe at the head of the table, Damon and Stefan at each side. The blue eyed man only looked up from his plate when Stefan spoke or when Mariam entered to clear a plate or refill a water glass.

"So Stefan," Giuseppe finally interrupted the silence. "Do you think you'll be ready to take over in two years."

The hazel eyed boy laughed. "I'm sure you have many more years in you old man." His eyes cut to Damon. "Besides, wouldn't that be Damon's responsibility?"

Their father almost choked on his water. "Come on now son. Are you trying to send me to an early grave?" He looked to Damon and lifted his glass. Mariam quickly refilled it with water and he took another sip. "I'm shipping him out to New Orleans, hopefully soon."

"Send me now for all I care," was the response Damon gave his father.

And as if he had been waiting for this moment, Giuseppe immediately came back with. "Glad you feel that way." He set down his glass. "You can head down there at the end of the week. Get yourself familiar with your workers and your new home."

"Splendid. Can't wait."

The three men looked to the corner of the room, when they heard Mariam having a sudden coughing fit. She excused herself from the room and exited.

Giuseppe recovered from the interruption. "Great. I'll have Ezekiel prepare to drive you down and send Earlene with you to play handmaiden."

Damon shook his head. "Daniel and Mariam."

After a few seconds of silence, the patriarch cackled. "This was your plan all along wasn't it?" Damon shrugged in response. "You wanted that place in New Orleans so that you could freely parade around with that girl on your arm."

"Why should you care what I'll be doing so far away?"

"You are so right on that boy." His father placed a piece of the casserole into his mouth. "But I will have you know that that way of living has damn near fallen to the way side."

A shrug. "Still better than how things are looked at around here." He sneered. "I'll take my chances."

The older man smiled. "I don't mind if you take her as a placee and have all the little quadroons your heart desires… as long as you eventually take a proper wife and father a legitimate heir."

"Or just live out the rest of my days with Mariam." He smiled at his father. "The joys of living my own life. You've made your decisions and I'll be damned if I allow you to make mine as well."

At this moment, Mariam reentered the room, a cake platter in one hand, with saucers and forks in the other.

Giuseppe smiled at the girl, before he turned back to his son. "Fine." He snatched the cake from Mariam and smashed it against the wall, as he stood to his feet. "You and your concubine have fun down there. But I don't want you or your little pick a ninny babies to come back here looking for a handout."

* * *

The night before they were to depart, Lillian ran around their tiny home fussing over her babies.

She repeatedly asked if they had packed everything they needed, reminded them to mind Damon (if anything for appearances) and to look after one another because they were all she had left.

Mariam promised they would be back soon, explaining to her mother that Damon and his father had made up (at least that's what Stefan had told her, considering she still wasn't on the best of terms with Damon) and that this trip would only be for three months. He'd promised they would return in the fall and that they wouldn't officially move until spring and that was if she and Daniel agreed.

And again, just because Damon wanted them to accompany him, didn't mean they would have to stay, especially considering they were free.

The next morning Lillian kissed the three and prayed for their safe journey, before she pulled Mariam aside.

Mariam saw the worry in the woman's eyes and as her mother tied a small hemp rope around the girls wrist, an enchantment whispered under her breath.

"What is this?" she asked when her mother's lips kissed the bracelet.

"This will ensure that you don't come back home with any babies in your belly."

The young woman frowned. "I still have my virtue and Damon and I aren't romantic."

Lillian looked over her daughter's shoulder at the young man she'd practically raised. She'd seen the winks, face strokes and hugs he gave her sweet Mariam and she, along with everyone else, knew his intentions. Of course the boy's heart was in the right place, that wasn't the issue, but these times were not meant for the two and she wanted to try to prevent her daughter the heartache she herself had been unable to avoid.

"Even so," her eyes sought her youngest's again. "It's best to be as cautious as possible. Especially since you did not inherit my powers like your brother did."

And with her mother's warning, Mariam, Daniel and Damon set off towards New Orleans.

As Daniel sat atop the carriage, Mariam sat on the far end of the padded seat, arms crossed, staring out the window. Damon sat on the other end of the bench, pretending to be thoroughly engrossed in his book but Mariam noticed him sneaking glances in her direction.

Four hours into their journey, she finally snapped and barked, "What?"

Genuinely startled, having not expecting that what so ever, Damon looked to her as if she were mad.

"What's gotten into you?"

She glared at him. "From the sound of things, you're trying to make your way into me."

An eyebrow quirked and he smiled at her like she'd said the most clever thing in the world. "And what would make you say such a thing?"

"Well considering what happened the other morning, Master Salvatore calling me your concubine and my mother seems to think I'm going to return home with child, it seems to be the correct assumption."

"Don't be ridiculous." He scoffed.

"So you've only had pure thoughts about me?"

It's not too often Damon Giuseppe Salvatore fumbles over his words and finally when he can control his mouth and gather his bearings (and decide whether or not to be truthful), he's honest with his answer. "Of course I haven't. I'm sure evey man on that plantation except for your brother has thought of you in that fashion."

He immediately realized his stupidity when she banged on the roof of the carriage.

They crept to a stop and Mariam threw the door open. She rushed out and promptly slammed the door shut in Damon's face.

"Everything ok?" Daniel asked as he climbed down.

She nodded her head and watched Damon climb out to join them.

"Can we speak on this matter privately?" he asked Daniel, knowing the man is overly protective of his baby sister.

Daniel gave his sister a look and she nodded in agreement before Damon grabbed Mariam's upper arm and steered her towards the side of the road. As soon as they were out of earshot, Mariam pulled from his hold and glared at him.

"What is going on in your head?" Damon asked.

She avoided his eyes while she wondered the same.

It's completely irrational for her to be upset that he's sexually attracted to her, especially when she knew that there are others who are as well. Yet Damon is supposed to be different, he's supposed to be her friend and only want the best for her and her overall happiness. She tells him so.

"And what if I believe that you'll find the most happiness with me?" he looked over his shoulder to see where her brother was. Daniel was in fact watching them, so Damon pulled her a little deeper into the slightly wooded area. "I have started to had started to have impure thoughts about you a while ago," when she turned to head back towards Daniel, he grabbed her hand, "but that doesn't mean I want to harm you."

Mariam shook her head. "Every time a white man decides he's interested in a nigger girl she ends up either raped or alone with a baby and most of the time both." She stared at him in defiance. "I'm not going to end up like that."

Damon gave her his signature grin. "I know you won't because I'm going to do right by you." His eyes looked to the still rising sun as he admitted, "My intentions for bringing you on this trip was to show you how different life can be outside of Mystic Falls. How we can build a home and a family together and I can lavish you with beautiful gowns and perfumes." His eyes met hers. "We can go to the theater and stroll in the market arm in arm and no one will think it strange."

"What about Ruby Griffith? I thought you were supposed to be courting her?"

He laughed. "Ruby Griffith is neither smart nor beautiful but so very docile and boring." Damon stroked Mariam's chin as he took a step closer towards her. "And most importantly she's not you."

Damon then placed the gentlest of kisses to her lips before he turned and escorted her back to the carriage.

Had Mariam not been standing there herself, she wouldn't have believed that Damon Salvatore had just kissed her. His lips had been so soft as they had brushed across her own. Quick, innocent and perfect. Very unlike the way she'd seen one of the whores in town feverishly kissing Gideon Lockwood one late evening.

As they approached her brother, Mariam couldn't help but keep her eyes down, as to avoid his cautious glare.

* * *

It took them six days to arrive at their destination.

And the home was beautiful.

The road that led to the property was long and deserted, slightly winding while each side was lined with tall, full and lush trees. The estate sat back far from the main road, two stories high and six pillars leading from the porch to the roof that hung over the front porch, which was surrounded by rose bushes.

Inside was just as spacious as the lawn, high ceilings and rooms larger than the ones at the Salvatore plantation. The wood of the floors still fresh and new, walls freshly painted and stone details still pristine and unchipped. She and Daniel had their own private quarters on the second floor, along with Damon's and their rooms were almost as large as his. They each also had their own attendants and found themselves doing absolutely no work at all, considering the place was already well staffed and Damon had insisted that the siblings were his guests and not workers.

Mariam was very grateful when Damon began to teach the pair how to read, as they spent evenings in his study, after they'd shared dinner. Yet during the day he was busy with other businessmen. On the nights he had them over to dinner, Mariam and Daniel escaped to town, taking in shows and dinners at some of the finest restaurants, courtesy of the large stipend Damon gave the pair weekly.

It wasn't until the trio had been at the home for three weeks, that she heard the whispering of the women, who kept of the household chores. Again the words concubine and placee were mentioned and the servants had chortled calling her naïve and living a fantasy, if she thought the master of the home would really treat her as he would a white wife.

The next afternoon, when she said she wanted to head to town, she'd asked her brother to stay behind and she'd asked the man Chuck to take her to the city.

She'd excused him to go about whatever business he may have had to take care of and said she'd meet him in a couple hours after she'd done some exploring of her own.

Not with complete confidence but with a smidge, she'd made her way through the streets, from the directions her mother had vaguely given in her stories. It had taken her a full twenty minutes before she'd finally spotted the shop.

She cupped her hands to the glass and peered inside, the space dark and dusty, letting her know it probably hadn't been inhabited since her mother had left.

She took a few steps back and stared at the living space above it, growing upset that she didn't possess the magic of her mother and brother, so that she could unlock the doors and go inside to explore.

"This place has been empty for over a decade," a voice behind her admitted.

Startled, Mariam turned to face the person and found a beautiful woman in a gorgeous and full gown of lavender, her brown curls lying over a shoulder, eyes studying her curiously.

"They say a free negro woman used to own it." The woman explained stepping closer and Mariam subconsciously took a step back, getting a bad vibe from the stranger. "They say she knew magic, could make any kind of remedy a person would ever need."

Mariam continued to back away, until her back bumped against the large glass window of the empty shop. "I don't believe in magic," she stammered.

"Liar," the woman chuckled and stared deeply into her eyes. "I can feel the magic pouring off of you." Her pupils grew and she asked, " How do you know Lillian?"

"She's my mother," Mariam heard the words fall from her lips before she could stop herself.

The strange and intimidating woman smiled as veins grew around the edges of her eyes and her canine teeth grew long and pointed. "And where, my dear sweet girl, is your mother now?"

"At the Salvatore plantation in Mystic Falls, Virginia."

The creature's face transformed, back to the normal features of a human being. "Good girl. Now run along and forget that this encounter ever took place or that you ever saw me."

* * *

A few minutes later Mariam stood in the middle of New Orleans, not sure how she'd made it to this part of the city and alone. She was quite confused and flustered as she pushed her way through the crowd, hoping to find Chuck and make her way back to her temporary home.

She held the skirts of her dress in her hands, as not to trip over them, occasionally looking over her shoulder, not being able to shake the feeling that she was being followed.

When she turned to again look ahead of her, it was too late, as she bumped into a man on the street.

He grabbed her by the arms and steadied her on her feet. "Slow down there, Love, what's the hurry?" he asked in an accented voice.

Mariam looked him over. He was well dressed, his blond curls cut close to his head, blue eyes shining and full red lips holding a smile.

"I'm sorry, I was looking for someone." She tried to step around him, yet he stepped in front of her, blocking her path. "Excuse me."

"No no, excuse me," he bowed his head before his eyes met hers. "I can't help but be captivated by your beauty and I'm not one to let a damsel in distress walk head first into potential danger."

And there was something about the way he looked at her and the tone of his voice, that told her that she might have done just that already.

"I'm not in danger," she argued as she took a step to his left, only to be blocked by him, yet again. "Excuse me."

He laughed. "But I must insist. It would really trouble me to see a lovely thing such as yourself lose her way and stumble upon a bad seed."

She felt nothing but panic as she looked around her, hoping someone was noticing her discomfort and either they didn't or did not care because not a single person was paying the two any mind.

"I don't believe it is your duty to feel such an obligation, sir."

"Of course it is. Here, let me properly introduce myself." He grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "I just so happen to be the King of New Orleans."


End file.
